


Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not for Long)

by gayerfurtherfaster (gayerfurtherfaster420), PrettyLittlePoutyMouth



Series: touch me and gimme that rush [2]
Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Cute Make-Out Sessions Overlooking Los Angeles, Dry Humping, F/F, Falling In Love, First Time, Jade West: Snuggle Slut, Kind of Canon Compliant, Salsa dancing, Tori Vega has a boob obsession but you would too if you were dating Jade West, Trying to Find a Birthday Gift for the Girl You're Dating, accidental porn viewing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 185,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24225601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayerfurtherfaster420/pseuds/gayerfurtherfaster, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyLittlePoutyMouth/pseuds/PrettyLittlePoutyMouth
Summary: Tori and Jade are dating. Everyone knows. Or, they assume everyone does. But, anyway, they’re just casually hanging out. As a couple. Okay, maybe they’re dating. And want to be girlfriends. Who could possibly maybe definitely be in love. Which also means that there’s the kissing and the making out and then...you know, whatever happens next.
Relationships: Tori Vega/Jade West
Series: touch me and gimme that rush [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717927
Comments: 285
Kudos: 550





	1. You, you, you, you showed up, and blew my mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Part Two!
> 
> Things about this section of the saga:
> 
> \- You may notice the rating has bumped up to M. That’s because these two chiz-heads are about to get serious. But also in the most real and awkward of ways. We promise true awkwardness.  
> \- Parents. They’re totally embarrassing. They’re also strangely adept at knowing what their kids are up to.  
> \- We’re still working with canon as much as possible and moving through the episodes. However, some have been severely adjusted or banished to dream-land in order to keep in line with the narrative. You know, like, details about a certain song performance.  
> \- Tori Vega is still a big nerd. And Jade’s super into it. We can’t help that, those are facts.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who’s been so kind with comments and feedback about Part One. We hope this continues to bring you joy and distraction during this weird time in the world.
> 
> BONUS CONTENT: For an interactive map of locations in this series, check out https://tinyurl.com/gimmethatrushmap

Tori opened her locker, searching for the notebook for her next class. She needed her plaid notebook, where was it? But as she searched in vain, she noticed a note hanging from the door of her locker.

Abandoning her search for her notebook, Tori picked up the note. It was folded up to about the size of a post-it note, but whoever had done the folding had done a phenomenal job, because by the time Tori unfolded the note, it was almost the size of one of the posters in Tori’s bedroom.

The note read, _Get out of my school!_

Tori was confused. Was Ponnie back? But Ponnie hadn’t been real, right?

She started trying to crumple up the huge note but as it lowered, she gasped, realizing that Jade was standing right in front of her. And she looked murderous.

She tried to greet Jade, but Jade pushed her hard back against the lockers before she could speak. Her eyes widened. She didn’t know what she had done to make Jade so angry.

But then Jade was also standing a few lockers down, wearing her blonde Tawny wig, watching and smiling. Tori tried to ask her what was going on, but the Jade with her hand on Tori’s chest got there first. “You need to leave!” she shouted at the blonde Jade. When there was no response from the blonde, the Jade with green streaks in her hair pulled out a banana and shot her.

Before Tori could even react, Jade pushed up against her and kissed her.

As unexpected as it was, Tori reacted instantly, arms wrapping around Jade and kissing her back with a vigor that surprised even herself. She didn’t have time to worry about how nothing made sense, because Jade was kissing her, and palming her breasts, and her thigh was pressing between Tori’s legs, moving against her. It felt amazing, and Tori felt her pleasure escalating so rapidly. She thought she’d better tell Jade to stop, that they were moving too quickly, but she couldn’t quite figure out how to speak when she certainly didn’t want to stop kissing her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two more people come around the corner, stopping by the Wahoo Punch machine to stare at them. She glanced over. It was Walter and Nancy, arm in arm, looking astonished. “No, no!” Walter admonished, “You have to fall asleep during!”

Tori ignored them, because Jade was grinding against her and making her feel so good she could only hold onto her and urge her on. Over her shoulder, she saw Jade with blue streaks in her hair, watching with evident envy. Coming into the school was Jade with brown hair and red streaks.

The Jade who was kissing her pulled back with an extremely erotic smirk, and began kneeling in front of Tori. Somehow, Tori knew, she was about to go down on her, and Tori felt excited and frightened and astonished, and _ohhh god_ , she wanted this. She felt Jade’s hands on her hips, and then she heard a mirthful laugh. “Why is your underwear so big?” Jade asked.

Tori was mortified, and looked down to try to tell Jade they were _not_ that big, but she abruptly realized that she was completely naked, and the school was full of students. Most of them seemed completely unconcerned with her nudity, but plenty of them were starting to notice and point and laugh. Tori tried to cover herself with her arms, panicking, when her locker opened. She felt arms pulling her inside and she screamed, but then tumbled through the locker and into the backseat of Jade’s car.

“Finally, we can be alone,” Jade husked at her, then lunged at her, covering Tori’s body with her own, kissing her hungrily.

And just as Tori felt excitement filling her, warmth tingling through her, she woke up.

In the confusing haze of being half-awake, the dream still partly felt real. At least, all the sensation it had been producing in her felt very, _very_ real. She was so intensely aroused that it took no thought at all before her hand was sliding into her sleep shorts, fingers dipping between her legs and pressing experimentally, chasing that feeling.

In barely five seconds, Tori Vega was completely awake, because she was having an orgasm.

It didn’t last very long, because it had taken her completely by surprise, but it was enough to leave her gasping and shuddering as she slumped back against her pillows, blinking at the ceiling and trying to collect herself.

She glanced at the clock, it was only three-fifteen in the morning. Still a couple hours before she needed to wake up for school. But she was awake for the moment, her mind reeling from the wild dream and her body reacting from the physical release.

This had happened a couple times before over the last week or so where Tori would wake up from a hazy, sexy dream that felt intensely real. But this was the first time she’d done something about it. Usually, whatever had happened in her dreamscape was already fading by the time she woke that it was just a general pleasurable sensation. Just now, though, she’d bridged the gap between what Dream Tori and Jade had been doing with what she was doing, alone, in bed. Even if it was only a matter of seconds, it was something that made Tori realize that maybe her body was telling her something.

It had been almost a month since their first official date and three weeks since that night with Jade, the one after the short film screening, when they’d talked about taking things at their own pace. Tori was happy with the continued state of their dating relationship, though as they moved closer to a full month of dinner dates and snuggling on sofas while watching movies (and doubly that with the making out), she did wonder if they might be on the brink of labeling things. She hadn’t pressed it, because it was still early and she figured Jade was still putting space between whatever they had and her relationship with Beck. Months seemed to pale in comparison to literal years together, so Tori just opted to be happy about the fact that Jade would text her during class, casually hold her hand in the halls, and occasionally drive her to school so she didn’t have to spend every single morning in the car with Trina.

Morning drives with Jade always included a stop at the Jet Brew drive-thru and usually a bit of bickering over who would pay. Jade insisted she wanted the points on her Jet Brew Miles app, but Tori was determined to pay for something because Jade wouldn’t even accept gas money for the ride. This morning, though, Tori was lost in her head, thinking about her weird dream, the resulting reaction, and what it meant.

“What’s up with you?” Jade asked, after placing their order at the speaker.

Tori shook herself from her light daze. “Sorry, I just...had a weird dream last night.”

“A nightmare?” Jade asked, sounding a little too hopeful. “Tell me everything.”

“It wasn’t...totally a nightmare. It started out like one but then it…uh, was...personal.” Tori felt her cheeks warming and it was apparently obvious because Jade cocked her head and that eyebrow lifted.

“Tori, did you have a _sex dream_?”

“I mean, maybe? It never quite got to that point but you were--”

“Wait,” Jade was elated. “It was about me?”

“Oh my god.” Tori covered her face and Jade had to at least direct her attention to moving the car forward in the drive-thru line. “Yes, okay?”

Jade’s eyes were bright in fascination. “What were we doing?”

“Um, well, we were kissing at my locker but then you were also there in the Tawny wig and then there were other Jades all around.”

“It was a _group sex_ dream? Tori, this is some kinky chiz. Oh my god, were any of me, like, doing it with myself?”

“No one was having sex! Not even Nancy and Walter, though he did say I had to fall asleep during…” Jade watched her muddle through the awkward recap, an amused expression on her face, and Tori just wanted to get to the end. “We were making out pretty hardcore but then my underwear was too big and suddenly I was naked and then you pulled me through the lockers into your car and I woke up--” She stopped, realizing the final element of this retelling wasn’t part of the dream.

“You woke up…” Jade prompted.

“And...I…” Tori knew her ears were bright pink because she could feel them burning.

It was their turn at the window, so she had a light reprieve while Jade paid for the drinks, passing Tori both beverages so she could place them in the cupholders. For some reason, the fact that Jade wasn’t pressing her at the moment made Tori feel like she had to just come out and say it.

“I touched myself, okay!” she blurted out.

It was a good thing they were still trying to exit the drive-thru and the worst that happened was that Jade drove into the curb. “ _Tori_!” Jade steered the car into an open parking space and put the car in park. “You did _not_ just shout that in the Jet Brew drive-thru.” She was laughing, but she also reached for Tori’s hand.

“Well, I did.” Tori wasn’t even sure if she was referring to the shouting or the touching, but the feeling of Jade’s hand around hers at least helped her feel grounded. And, okay, it was funny.

“It’s not that big of a surprise,” said Jade. “Other than your timing.”

They hadn’t really talked about masturbation, it wasn’t something either of them were likely to bring up. Jade was direct, but she also kept deeply personal stuff to herself, for the most part. At least in Tori’s experience. But there had been nights when they’d spent extended periods of time kissing and touching, sometimes at Jade’s, sometimes at Tori’s (when her family left her alone), sometimes in the car, when it felt like there was room for escalation. But they’d agreed to keep things above the belt, under the shirt, over the bra...maybe not mapped out as clearly and succinctly, but they were definitely working with a set of established boundaries. But that didn’t mean they weren’t feeling the want of more.

Tori kept her eyes focused out the front window. “You do it too, right?” Like, she was pretty sure, but then what if this wasn’t something people did as much as she thought they did? When they talked about this stuff in her sex-ed class at Sherwood, they made it all seem like a regular part of everything, but no one around her ever _talked_ about it. Maybe some people talked about this stuff with their siblings, but this was a topic she would never in her life discuss with Trina.

Jade almost choked on her coffee. “What?” she sputtered, finding a napkin. “I mean, yeah. Of course. Not, like, _all_ the time. I’m not a maniac. But sometimes.”

“I’ve tried before and just never...I didn’t get much out of it. But this time…” This was so not the conversation she thought she’d be having on the way to school. This was what it was like being around Jade, though. Things came up that she wouldn’t necessarily do or try or say with someone else, but Jade made it feel natural.

“This time what?” But even as Jade asked the question, she seemed to pick up on what Tori meant.

“I…” Tori struggled for more to say about this, but even though she felt secure and safe talking about this kind of stuff with Jade, it was a lot. Jade’s lips met the back of her hand, offering a kiss that suggested they could talk about it later.

Jade released Tori’s hand so she could back out of the space and finish the drive to school. Because after all of this, there was still an entire school day to face. At least maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about Nancy and Walter showing up in the halls.

By morning break, Tori’s day wasn’t going much better. Classes were fine, but then Sinjin kicked her right in the kidney to demonstrate that he’d taken a karate class (and didn’t even help her back up). At her locker, which was already giving Tori weird dream deja vu, Trina came up in a frenzy about something, spit all over Tori’s face to shush her, then dragged her away next to the stairs to tell her about a big sale at Wanko’s. Eighty percent off of everything was actually really exciting. Tori thought her day might be looking up. She needed to buy a unitard for a dance class she was planning to take in the fall--and also because, who knew when you might need a unitard? So Tori was definitely into going to this sale.

But her good luck didn’t last. As if spitting in Tori’s eye wasn’t bad enough, Trina backhanded Tori across the face with a hand full of bulky rings when she tried to tell Andre about the big sale. It _hurt_ and Tori was pretty sure it would leave a mark.

So Tori was already a little frazzled when Jade arrived, along with Cat. Jade stood on the staircase, towering over the rest of the group, and Tori swore she flashed her a knowing smirk as she arrived. Clearly, Jade hadn’t forgotten about their conversation in the morning, either.

Before long, all of her friends were surrounding Tori and Trina, demanding to know the secret information, and after spitting all over Tori’s face a _second_ time, Trina agreed to text everyone the secret so that other students couldn’t overhear.

It was a great idea. An idea that failed to account for one Cat Valentine.

“There’s a big sale at Wanko’s?!” Cat shouted.

-

Andre had agreed to drive them all to Wanko’s in his grandmother’s SUV (somehow, Charlotte Harris was still permitted to drive, something that Jade found kind of terrifying). It was a 90 minute drive, and Jade thought it might actually be nice to sit next to Tori in a car full of their friends.

But then Andre insisted that Tori sit shotgun, to be his navigator. “Robbie, you’re always getting lost, Beck, man, I’m sorry, but I know I won’t be able to hear you over traffic. Jade...you...well, anyway, I need Tori to be my navigator. She keeps it cool, and she’s had practice.”

“Yeah, because she can’t drive,” Trina said snidely.

“Wait, you think Tori will be a better navigator than me?” Jade was kind of offended.

Andre addressed both criticisms at the same time, “She also knows to keep her eye out for ladies in wheelchairs--” (Tori groaned piteously) “--and, yeah, Tori is chill in traffic.”

“Are we talking about the same Tori? I don’t think chill is the right word,” Jade snarked.

“Can we please stop bringing up my driver’s test?” Tori begged.

But it was settled. Tori sat in the front, and since Cat had the shortest legs, she had to sit in the middle of the front seat. Everyone else started cramming into the back.

Jade considered her options. She _really_ didn’t want to sit next to Robbie. He didn’t even have Rex with him, which made him even less tolerable sometimes. She also didn’t want to be squeezed against Beck for an hour and a half. They’d broken up months ago, and things were mostly better between them, but it still seemed like it would be awkward.

She looked uncertainly at Trina. This also seemed like a terrible idea.

But as Robbie and Beck squeezed into one half of the car and Trina hurried to sit next to Beck, it was the only seat available.

Trina rolled her eyes, “Okay, you can sit next to me, but don’t touch me.”

Jade let out a spiteful laugh, “Oh, don’t worry.” Fortunately, Trina was already focused on Beck and basically had her back turned to Jade, so she wasn’t forced to make conversation.

**This is not how I planned spending my Friday night.**

**At least Trina hasn’t taken her shoes off**

**She used to do that ALL the time on family trips**

**It’s bad**

**SO BAD**

Jade glanced down and made sure that Trina’s feet were still wedged into her ugly shoes. Thankfully, they were. The other thing to be grateful for was Andre’s taste in music, so with a decent playlist in the background, Jade was able to kill time pretty easily scrolling through The Slap and SplashFace between texts with Tori.

**Don’t fall asleep up there**

**Walter and Nancy might show up**

Tori turned to stare at Jade with narrowed eyes, kind of smiled, then looked back down at her phone. Moments later, Jade’s screen updated with a new message.

**I forgot to tell you about the part where you shot the Tawny you with a banana**

**That’s Fruedian as hell**

**Why?? Because of the banana??**

**Yep**

Tori was caught up in giving Andre directions to merge onto the correct freeway, so Jade updated her Slap profile then decided to do some dream analysis on Tori’s behalf.

**What color was it?**

**The banana?**

**Yellow. Like a banana.**

**Why?**

She felt Tori’s gaze back on her, but didn’t give her more than a cursory glance before going back to her research.

**Just searched what bananas in dreams mean**

**No specific info on what it means when someone’s shot with one**

**BUT**

**“Bananas in dreams symbolize sensuality, fertility,**

**life passions, pleasure, happiness, joy and satisfaction.**

**They often indicate experiencing sexual pleasure with**

**your partner, or even encountering a new sexual partner.”**

Even from the backseat, Jade could tell Tori was trying to hide her screen just in case someone else happened to see it. Nevermind that Robbie was busy trying to talk to Cat and Beck was focused on tolerating all of Trina’s gabbing in his ear. It took Tori a little while to reply and Jade wondered if she’d pushed too hard and embarrassed her. She didn’t want Tori to feel _bad_ about her dream, especially if it centered around Jade and, well, pleasure. It was kind of nice to know she maybe meant something to Tori on a subconscious level.

Tori finally replied.

**Well, I don’t know about all that**

**It’s not like you even got to finish what you started**

Jade blinked. She glanced toward Tori in the front seat, but couldn’t see anything about her expression. But it sure seemed like Tori was willing to keep engaging about her dream.

**Oh, really? And what did I start?**

It took another moment for this reply to come in as well. Jade waited eagerly. She knew that it might not make any sense or be all that exciting because sometimes sex dreams didn’t really reflect anything real. And at first, Tori’s response seemed to confirm this.

**Let’s just say you were**

**link:[Beggin on your knees]**

Jade didn’t even have to click the link to the recording of Tori’s song from the Full Moon Jam last year. Not that she needed to start blaring random music in Andre’s car.

**Yeah, begging’s not really my brand**

From the front passenger’s seat, she heard Tori snort in disbelief.

**If you say so**

**But less the begging part and more the rest of it**

Okay. That was something.

**So I was on my knees?**

**What was I doing on my knees?**

Multiple Jades, what sounded like voyeuristic versions of characters they’d played, and Jade on her knees. How kinky was this dream?

**Well, we were both pretty excited about it...**

Jade shifted in her seat a bit. Okay, so it was most likely...that. Though she couldn’t exactly imagine it was the easiest thing to do with one partner standing.

She could almost feel Tori’s smile of satisfaction, even though she was still facing the front of the car. So Jade decided to get the upper hand.

**You’re pretty sexy when you’re not just sending memes**

She watched for her reaction and was satisfied to see Tori’s back straighten as she angled herself even more away from Cat. She glanced over her shoulder briefly and caught Jade’s eye.

But as she turned back to the front, Tori started shrieking, “Andre. Andre! It’s this exit! We have to get off here!”

“Oh, chiz!” Andre said, “Hold on, everybody!”

It wasn’t too wild, but Andre did have to switch lanes and take an exit in a pretty brief window. But he managed it well, and Tori babbled apologies as she slumped back in her seat in relief.

“Yeah, Tori’s the really _chill_ navigator,” Jade piped up sarcastically.

In response, Tori texted her a selfie with her tongue sticking out.

Jade saved it as Tori’s contact picture.

By the time they parked at Wanko’s, everyone was laughing about the thrill of almost missing their exit. They piled out of the car, eager to shop, until Tori pointed out the insanely long line waiting to get in the store.

None of them wanted to wait in a long line. Jade was already beginning to think this was a mistake. She’d crammed herself next to Trina in the back seat of an SUV for this?

Tori noticed Sinjin and Burf sitting toward the front of the line and went to see if they’d let them cut in with them. Though not before Cat honked the horn of the SUV, just to see if it would make Tori turn around. It really was funny sometimes that people thought Tori was chill. All you really had to do was startle her to see the crazy come out.

She watched idly as Tori walked over to talk to Sinjin and Burf. Andre was holding Cat in place to make sure she stayed out of trouble, which was hardly a punishment for Cat, as she snuggled him and giggled. Trina was still fawning over Beck. So was Robbie, come to think of it. So Jade didn’t really have anything else holding her attention except for Tori. Who was now crouching with her arm around Sinjin. Eww. The creep probably knew just how lucky he was, and Jade added it to her list of reasons to murder him.

Tori hurried back moments later, “Trina, hey,” she said with a forced smile. It quickly became apparent why when Tori started fuming, “The Wanko’s sale doesn’t start until seven _AM_. Tomorrow morning. You made us all drive ninety minutes for nothing!”

Trina stared back guiltlessly. “This is not my fault,” she stated.

“Yes, it is!” Tori shouted, amidst the babble of everyone else’s disappointment. Beck suggested they come back in the morning but Andre pointed out the line would only grow longer.

“And,” Tori added, “they’ll be sold out of all the good stuff by the time we get in the store.”

“Just relax,” said Beck.

Jade was about to tell him it wasn’t really cool to tell women to relax when they were trying to make a point, but then Tori started flipping out about not getting eighty-percent off a unitard.

“Let’s just all agree that Tori has ruined our night,” said Trina.

Everyone agreed, even Jade, because…well, giving Tori a hard time was still a difficult habit to break. But she also had an idea. The store itself was still open for two more hours. “Okay, you people want to buy good stuff at Wanko’s, on sale?” One of the reasons Jade even cared about this stupid sale was because she was hoping to find something for Tori’s birthday. It was closing in quickly and she knew she should probably actually get something for her this year since they were...hanging out. She signaled for everyone to follow her and led them into the store.

-

Once they were inside, they crowded toward the back of the store, where the vacuum cleaners and storage bins were stocked. There really wasn’t anyone shopping in this section of the store.

“Okay so what’s your big plan?” Tori asked Jade.

“Shh!” Jade nodded subtly toward an employee who was passing through. If they looked suspicious, he either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“What’s the plan?” Tori prompted again when he was out of earshot.

“Okay, we hide here--” Jade started.

They were interrupted by Robbie, who was ridiculously excited to show them some walkie-talkies he’d found. When Tori pointed out that a cell phone did the same thing, and Andre and Beck added that you couldn’t text on a walkie-talkie, Robbie got all huffy and tossed them one of the bins. It was a little sad to see him get so dejected, but Tori was more interested in what Jade had to say.

“Your plan?” she said, yet again.

“Just before Wanko’s closes at nine, we hide here, in the store. Then, after they close, we have the whole place to ourselves. We can walk around, pick out what we want to buy, have some fun,” Jade had everyone’s attention as she spoke.

“And then we’re the first ones here tomorrow morning when the sale starts!” Tori added. Jade smiled and raised her eyebrows at her.

“But isn’t that like breaking in?” Andre questioned.

Beck shrugged. “We’re already in.”

Andre nodded slowly. “That’s some legit logic right there.”

“So.” Jade looked around at them, “You guys up for an all-nighter at Wanko’s?”

Everyone was, because with cheers of excitement, they started an impromptu dance party in the aisle. It lasted all of five seconds until another employee walked down the aisle.

“We weren’t doing anything,” Tori heard Cat mumble.

Tori pretended to be very interested in the merchandise on the shelves. Jade stepped right next to her. “I need bins, so these are perfect,” she said, loud enough for other people to hear.

“Yes, yes, they’re wonderful,” Tori told her, smirking at her. Jade was standing so close, it was natural to want to reach out and touch her.

But before it could really happen, the employee had walked away, and Jade turned back around to the group. “All right. So it’s a little after seven. Wanko’s closes at nine. Let’s all meet back here at 8:30 so we can be sure we have enough time to hide.” Everyone murmured their assent.

Tori gravitated toward Jade, but Jade held up her hand. “Nope,” she said.

“Wait, what?”

“You need to go try on unitards, and I have no interest in Wanko’s clothing line,” Jade told her, though there was something like mischief in her expression, “So you go do your thing, and I’ll do mine.” She smiled at her, “We have all night, Vega,” she said, smile turning to a smirk.

“Okay…” Tori replied, watching her curiously. Jade was acting weird, but then, that wasn’t unusual. She watched as Cat skipped after Jade.

But Jade was right, she did need to try on unitards. She couldn’t really do that when the store was closed.

Andre walked up to her, “Hey, you want to go look at keyboards with me?” he asked.

Tori considered this. She had plenty of time to find a unitard, and this sounded like a good idea. “Okay,” she said, “Yes, I do.”

“All right,” Andre enthused, and they wandered off toward the music section of the store.

The selection wasn’t that diverse, but they did have a few sample units set up. Andre played a few chords on one, and then glanced at Tori. “So,” he said, in a conspiratorial tone, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

Tori had a feeling she knew where this was going, but she played it casual, “Really? What?”

“What’s up with you and Jade?” Before Tori could keep up her ruse--not that she had any reason to--he continued, “Something’s been different between you two for weeks now.”

“Different how?” Tori wanted to know. Not because she wanted to deny anything, but she was curious what Andre had noticed.

Andre shrugged, plucked out a jaunty little melody on the keyboard. “Well, you sit together more often. Sometimes you hold hands in the hall. She’s been giving you rides home from school, sometimes even _to_ school. And she's been a lot nicer to you lately.” He looked at her keenly, “So what’s going on?”

Tori let her fingers plink randomly on the adjacent keyboard, finding them playing something like a tune, though it was more muscle memory than anything intentional. “Well,” she said, “We’re...we are dating, but it’s, you know. It’s casual. We’re just seeing where it goes.” It wasn’t a lie, even though it felt like it was obscuring some details. They certainly weren’t serious yet, but casual didn’t feel quite right, either.

“I _knew_ it,” Andre played a series of triumphant, major key chords. “But I have to say, I’m a little surprised.”

“Well, no more than I was, I imagine.”

“I mean, not just that, but like...seriously? After all we went through last fall, when I had that crush...you seemed pretty sure it was a bad idea, then. _And_ you told me she was a ‘mean, vicious person with deep psychological problems.’ So…” Andre switched to a minor chord. “Is that what you’re into?”

He wasn’t wrong to question it. Tori had gone to great lengths to help cure him of his Jade-crush. But that was different. “Your main reason for freaking out about it was because she was Beck’s girlfriend.”

“True,” he said, fiddling with the drumbeat presets. “I also had no idea you’d eventually be making her yours.”

“We’re not...officially anything.” Again, there was that lack of a real term for whatever they were. “And, while you were going through all that, I had no idea anything like this would happen.”

“Yeah, which was my next question. How’d it happen?”

Tori wanted to be honest with him, but she also didn’t want to disclose, like, every personal detail. “I guess things picked up around the play.”

“I’d wondered if Walter and Nancy had anything to do with it,” Andre mused.

Oh god, now Tori was thinking about her stupid sex dream, again. She shrugged. “Yeah, kind of. When Sikowitz made us go on that date at Nozu, we kind of had to get to know each other for five hours. Jade can be...fun.”

“Hey, I know what it’s like,” Andre said conspiratorially. “When the girl wants to turn it up, she’s devilishly charming. You know, as opposed to when she’s just plain devilish.” He trailed his fingers across the keys one more time. “Does Beck know?”

“Uh…” Tori had wondered what the etiquette was in that regard. She knew how it had felt when she found out Cat was dating her old boyfriend, Danny. And, yeah, she’d also sprayed them with hot cheese when she’d seen them kissing. She wanted to think that this was different because they were all friends (despite what Jade constantly insisted), but was it? “It’s not like we’re keeping it a secret.”

Andre bobbed his head back and forth, as if evaluating her statement. “That’s true.”

“I guess...if things get more serious…” Tori slumped, really evaluating what she was supposed to do.

“Hey, you know what, I didn’t mean to break your brain over this.” Andre rubbed his hands together. “We need to check out aisle twenty-six. My grandma needs a new microwave because she thought the last one was sending her messages from outer space, so she threw it out the window.”

-

“Oh can we look at the stuffed ani--”

“No.”

“Not even the--”

“No.”

Cat trailed behind Jade as she rushed around the store, trying to figure out which section might have good gift ideas for Tori’s birthday. This was exactly why Jade didn’t buy gifts. It was too stressful and, if someone really wanted something, wouldn’t they just get it for themself? Still, she wanted to try because Tori had that effect on her, which was a new experience for Jade. She wanted to impress Tori. Why? They were already dating and that was after Tori had spent like two years desperately trying to be friends with her.

“What are we looking for?” Cat asked. “Because so far, you’ve said no to everything I’ve suggested.”

Jade had come to a stop in front of a display of barbeques. “Tori’s birthday is next week.”

“Oh, yay!” Cat bounced. “Happy birthday, Tori!”

“So, I have to find her something.”

“But you hate giving presents.”

“Yeah, I know. But I have to find something for Tori.”

“Because she’s your special lady?” Cat fluttered her eyelashes for emphasis. Jade glared at her. “That’s what Robbie calls it when he wants to hold my hand.”

“Never compare me and Tori to whatever it is you and Robbie do.”

“But that _is_ what you’re doing. In the halls. Sometimes in class.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, you like her.”

“And?”

“I think it’s nice.”

Well, praise chiz, they had Cat’s blessing. Jade redirected back to her original task. “What do you think about this?” She held up a bag of charcoal.

“What for?”

“So she can make hamburgers.”

“Oh, Tori loves hamburgers!”

At eight-thirty, everyone returned to the storage section of the store and, as planned, they each chose a bin or trash can to hide in. Fifteen minutes before closing, everyone hid in their selected spot. Of course, that meant that they had to spend fifteen minutes crouched in the same position.

Jade had at least chosen a large trash can where she was basically sitting down, but it quickly became apparent how much she took moving her legs for granted. To kill time, she took out her phone and texted Tori.

**Okay I’ll be honest**

**I didn’t account for claustrophobia in this plan**

**It’s not too bad**

**Okay it’s kind of terrible**

**But it’ll be worth it**

**Would now be a bad time to send clown memes?**

**My screaming will probably be a giveaway that we’re in here**

**So don’t scream**

**Then don’t send me creepy memes**

**Boring**

Jade scrolled through her phone, evaluating which memes might still give Tori a little bit of a scare, but she definitely didn’t want to blow their plan, so she decided to check some of her SplashFace puppet accounts instead.

A few minutes later, another text from Tori came through.

**Andre was asking about us**

Interesting. Jade had been wondering when this would finally come up. No one had said anything to her about it until Cat’s observation earlier. But Cat was always either completely out of touch or weirdly in tune, so Jade was usually inclined to assume she was the outlier. But Andre was more mainstream.

**What’d you say?**

**Just that we’re...dating.**

**Casual**

It was the truth, but Jade, for whatever reason, didn’t like the way it sounded. But that didn’t change the fact that people were starting to notice.

**Cat asked something too**

**Guess it’s out there**

**Yeah**

**Do you think Beck knows?**

This was something Jade had considered and forced herself not to care about. She knew she should probably talk to him, just because they were all friends. But then it also wasn’t any of his business.

**He can ask if he wants to know**

**He knows he can talk to me**

**What if he asks me?**

**Tell him the same thing you told Andre**

The voice of the security guard suddenly sounded from outside Jade’s trash can. He was on the radio with someone, prepping the lockdown and...making dinner plans?

“See you in the parking lot in forty-five seconds,” she heard him say. When his footsteps finally faded, everyone emerged from their hiding spots.

Right now, Jade didn’t have time to worry about her ex-boyfriend’s opinion on her personal life. She was ready to spend the night in Wanko’s with her friends. Okay, yeah, that included Tori.

-

Tori was a little stiff from lying on her back, all scrunched up like a dead bug in her tub for fifteen minutes, but the excitement of a full night running free in a huge store quickly made her forget about any discomfort.

“This is going to be the most fun night, ever!” Tori exclaimed. “We can go play with the--”

“ _Security system on,_ ” came a computerized voice from above. There was a series of beeps and then a wall of laser sensors appeared in front of them, blocking their access to the rest of the store. If they broke the beams, the alarm would go off and the cops would show up.

“So, what’s the plan now, Jade?” asked Beck, sarcastically. Even from where Tori was standing, she could tell he was pushing the boundaries of Jade’s personal space limits.

Which maybe was why Jade immediately deflected with, “Don’t give me attitude. Tori’s the one who said we should hide and stay here after the store closed.”

Whoa. Okay. That was the second time tonight. They still needed to iron out Jade’s tendency to blame Tori for things she very obviously didn’t do. “What? You’re blaming me?” Tori pushed back. “Okay, _you,_ you are the one who--” The argument was halted because they all had to keep Cat from trying to taste the lasers.

Tori, in an attempt to present a good solution to the group, suggested they just hang out where they were until the store opened. Everyone agreed and, after a weird and disturbing aside from Cat about her brother and a vacuum cleaner he kept in his room, they settled and began to wait out the night. She sat on the floor with the guys while Jade hung back and leaned on a stack of bins.

Still irritated about the way Jade had automatically blamed her for them being stuck in here, Tori decided to try and talk about it. Discreetly.

**That was pretty not cool**

She half-expected a response about how it shouldn’t be a surprise, that she should be used to uncool things happening to her because she was such a nerd. Instead, the text that popped up on her screen said:

**Sorry**

**Beck was in my face**

**I panicked**

An apology was a pretty big deal from Jade. Tori decided she didn’t need to press any further. This was new. They were working on...whatever.

**He was being kind of a jerk**

**Yeah**

**To be fair this all sucks**

**You should come back here by the irons**

**Really cozy**

Tori was about to consider the invitation to move four feet from where she was seated, but Andre began freaking out, even though it had only been twelve minutes. Everyone around her seemed to unravel.

“I gotta wazz,” whined Trina.

“So wazz,” suggested Jade.

“Wazz _where_?”

Jade gestured to the display around them. “Just grab a bin!”

But Trina wasn’t going for it. “Trina Vega _does not_ wazz in bins.”

Tori couldn’t help herself when she revealed, “At that movie you wazzed in a popcorn bucket.” Granted, Trina had been six at the time, but that part wasn’t nearly as fun to share.

“A bucket is not a bin,” Trina clarified, sadly.

While Andre hyperventilated, Tori studied the red horizontal laser beams. They didn’t extend all the way to the floor and she wondered...hmmm…

“Hey,” she poked at Beck to assist her, since he was the person nearest to her not freaking out, “Come here.” Tori stretched out on her stomach, holding her PearPhone up to the bottom beam.

“What are we doin’?” Beck asked.

“Measuring,” Tori explained, “to see how high this beam is from the floor.”

“Eight inches,” piped up Jade, still back in her corner.

It really did seem particularly dismissive when Beck said, “Will you let her measure it, please?”

Especially when Tori checked and...it was exactly eight inches. Damn, Jade.

The plan was this: They’d slide Robbie (the flattest among them) under the beams and he’d find the security panel to disable the alarm system. It was simple enough that there really wasn’t any way for it to go wrong. Except that, once they sent him on his way, Robbie seemed to be taking forever and, eventually, stopped responding to his walkie-talkie.

Everyone was losing their minds from hunger (Jade was about to murder someone for a sandwich) when Cat ran right through the lasers and tripped the alarm.

“Aw man,” cried Andre, “The cops’ll be here in five minutes.”

“We’ve got to make a run for the car,” realized Tori. But Beck and Trina both pointed out that the security cameras in the parking lot would give them all away and end up with all of them arrested. Okay, so they had to make sure no one saw their faces. Tori quickly pointed to the plastic tubs. “Bins! Everybody cover your heads with bins!”

“Yes!” agreed Jade. She was first out with a blue tub over her head.

“Great plan, Jade,” Trina said. Omg, why could _no one ever_ attribute the good ideas to Tori?

They all scrambled through the store, heads covered, Andre, Beck, and Tori doubling back to the security desk to pick up Robbie, then booked it through the parking lot back to Andre’s car. Everyone piled in quickly, leaving Robbie folded up in the front middle seat with Beck next to him and all four girls in the back.

Andre sped out of the parking lot, still running on adrenaline, but by the time he was back on the road and stopped at a stoplight, he seemed to recover. He let out a huge breath, hand on his chest. “Oh, chiz,” he gasped, “We made it.”

“We did,” Robbie confirmed. His gangly legs were squished in front of him as he huddled in the middle front seat. “We should stop somewhere, though. I don’t think I can sit like this the whole way home.”

Tori leaned forward, “There’s an InsideOut Burger on the other side of the freeway overpass,” she told Andre, “I saw it when we were exiting.”

“Good,” Jade, who was next to her, growled, “I would kill for a burger.”

“And I need some ice,” Beck groaned from the front seat.

Andre glanced at him, “You okay, man?”

“No,” Beck got out. Tori leaned forward just enough to see he was cupping the front of his jeans.

“Oh, my god, what happened?” she asked.

Robbie patted Beck’s shoulder, “I think he ran into one of the barricades, swimsuit area first, in bin-head mode.” Beck just made an affirmative, wordless sound.

There was a stifled chuckle from Jade, but Tori suspected she was the only one who could hear it. She turned to glare at her, but it quickly morphed into a smirk. Maybe he’d earned it for being kind of a jerk to her tonight.

Andre pulled into the InsideOut Burger parking lot moments later, and they piled inside to order food and use the restroom. Trina complained about only too recently resorting to wazzing in a bin in Wanko’s, Cat spent too long giggling as she played with the hand dryers, and Jade was just generally being grumpy because she was so hungry.

When everyone got their food, they only stayed at the restaurant long enough to step outside and stand at the empty outdoor seating to scarf down their burgers, since everyone was really hungry. But they were all getting tired, too, so Andre suggested they finish their fries and shakes in the car so they could get on the road.

This time, there was slightly more thought as they got back into the car. Cat sat in the front middle again, but Beck, probably trying to keep away from Trina, remained in the front seat, and sat with his milkshake between his legs. Jade got in behind the driver’s seat, letting Tori get in next to her, but seemed to regret it instantly as Trina sat on her other side. Robbie sat down next to Trina. Still, Tori almost felt worse for Trina, who appeared to not want either Robbie or Jade to touch her. Almost. Though she had been remarkably tolerable on this outing with Tori’s friends, she was still Trina.

But Tori certainly didn’t mind Jade touching her, and nudged her with her shoulder several times as they sat and finished their food. Andre merged onto the freeway, and they were on their way home.

As people finished eating, the steady white noise of the car seemed to help usher in a relaxed atmosphere. In the front seat, Tori could hear Andre and Beck’s murmurs, punctuated with bursts of Cat’s distinctive laughter, but she couldn’t really hear what they were talking about. Trina kept reminding Robbie that she absolutely didn’t like him, but yet, the two of them were continuing to talk. Weird.

And she and Jade were holding hands, running fingers over one another’s arms. Jade seemed relaxed and happy, slowly working through her fries and occasionally, unnecessarily, stealing some of Tori’s. Tori bumped her in retaliation, which caused Jade to knock into Trina, which made her turn in a huff to glare at them. But ultimately, Trina just rolled her eyes and went back to staring at the back of Beck’s head.

“You trying to get me in trouble with your sister?” Jade murmured at her.

“No,” Tori replied, “I’m trying to defend my dwindling supply of fries. You have your own.”

“I like yours.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“ _You’re_ ridiculous.”

Tori shrugged. That was sometimes true. She ran her fingers lightly over Jade’s palm. “I’m not...always ridiculous,” she said, trying to sound...well, as suggestive as she could, considering they were in a car surrounded by their friends. What Jade had told her over text on the way to Wanko’s was still heavy in her mind.

Jade turned to look at her, eyebrow quirked. “No,” she agreed, voice soft, “Not always.”

They were interrupted by Trina, who jerked into Jade. “Eww, Robbie!” she squealed.

“No!” Jade screamed at her.

“I’m sorry!” Robbie cried out simultaneously.

There was a lurch, as Andre maintained control of his car. “Will you kids be quiet back there?!” he hollered, sounding disturbingly like Tori’s dad on family trips.

“Yeah,” Beck turned around and shook a finger at them all, “Daddy is trying to drive.”

“Man, don’t call me that,” Andre sounded distressed. Beck looked rather pleased with himself.

Cat was laughing, “Beck is the Mom,” she turned and announced to everyone. Beck looked a little less pleased with himself as he turned back around.

Everyone made an attempt to settle down after Andre’s outburst. Tori let her head rest on Jade’s shoulder as they casually interlaced their fingers. She breathed in the scent of Jade’s shampoo, the particular laundry detergent she used on all her dark clothing. She felt Jade’s head resting on top of hers and was content in the silence of the car.

Evidently, quieting down also meant that some people started falling asleep. After Trina had made a huge deal about making sure Robbie wasn’t touching her, she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Which everyone became aware of when she started snoring like a buzzsaw.

Jade stirred, and Tori leaned over to look, just to make sure the familiar sound of the snoring was coming from her sister. Yep, it was Trina. Robbie, who until then had seemed to be ready to drop off himself, looked in horror at her head on his shoulder. From the front seat, Beck and Cat were turning curiously to look.

Jade leaned down to where their food trash was and picked up her box of fries. All that was left inside were the crispy, burnt ones, the ones no sane person actually ate. Slowly, carefully, she slipped a fry into Trina’s mouth.

Trina snorted, flailed, and spit out the fry. “What’s happening?!” she shrieked.

“Seriously!?” Andre cried out again.

“Was there something in my mouth?!” Trina demanded. She picked up the crusty fry from the floor. “How did a _fry_ get in my mouth?!”

“No idea,” Jade said.

“You were snoring,” Tori accused.

“I was not!” Trina gasped.

“Maybe you were sleep-eating,” Robbie offered.

Trina tilted her head, considering this. “That has happened,” she admitted.

“Yeah, you’re the reason we’re not allowed to have food on the second floor of the house,” Tori sat back, folding her arms.

Everyone fell quiet again soon afterwards. Jade’s fingers were trailing over Tori's upper arm, until she unfolded her arms and took Jade’s hand again. She settled back against Jade’s shoulder, closing her eyes and enjoying being close to her.

“Don’t fall asleep,” Jade whispered mischievously in her ear.

Tori poked her hard in the thigh, and Jade grabbed her other hand and held it in her lap. Tori snuggled back up to her.

They were close to getting home when Ander hit a bump in the road that made Tori’s face bounce against Jade’s shoulder. She lifted her head and pressed her hand against it. “Owww,” she whined quietly.

The rest of the car was quiet, maybe even asleep, but Jade turned toward her, “What? What happened?”

Tori winced, “This morning Trina bruised my cheek. She totally backhanded me with giant rings on her hand.”

Jade glanced over at her, glaring, then turned back to Tori, “That grunch. Want me to hurt her for you?”

Tori shook her head and sighed, “No. It’s not a big deal.”

Light filtered intermittently into the car from opposing traffic and streetlights as Jade scrutinized Tori’s face. Tori saw her expression soften. “Yikes. I see it.” Tori felt Jade’s fingertip just under her cheekbone.

“Yeah,” Tori mumbled. Something about the soft attention was making her blush.

And in the quiet of the car, in the dim light, she felt Jade’s lips brush over the bruise on her cheek. Warmth spread through her body, from head-to-toe, a pleasant, fuzzy high that made her giddy. It was barely even a kiss, but an expression of affection like this from Jade was still something so new and unexpected that it left Tori feeling weightless, like she might float up out of the car if Jade wasn’t holding her hand. They still had a laundry list of things to work on as they continued dating, but moments like this told Tori it was going to be worth the effort.

-

Tori’s birthday was that following Friday and it crept closer with each passing day. Jade still hadn’t found her a present, so she figured she should at least make sure something was going on that night.

On Monday, she reluctantly sent Trina a text message.

**Are you guys doing anything for Tori on Friday?**

**WHO IS THIS**

**Your worst nightmare**

**OH JADE 🙄**

**WHY ARE YOU TEXTING ME**

**IDK maybe look two messages up**

**WHY WOULD I BE DOING SOMETHING FOR TORI**

**Um, it’s her birthday?**

**YEAH**

**WHY WOULD I BE DOING SOMETHING FOR TORI**

**K this has been great bye**

Jade knew that the Vegas made a big deal about Trina’s whole birthweek, but apparently Tori didn’t get the same attention. Actually, this really explained a lot. She sent a mass text to all their friends, telling them to be a Karaoke Dokie on Friday at six or else risk the consequences.

That afternoon, she went with Andre to Nozu. Cat, Tori, and Robbie were already there, at the sushi bar, but she really had no interest in whatever dorky thing Robbie was currently famous for on the internet, so they sat at a back table. But when her food finally came, they all had to go outside because Robbie was going to fight a guy. Apparently, the super dumb thing that had made Robbie internet famous was slapping himself. The nerds involved kept calling it “hamboning” but it was literally just two weak looking dudes slapping themselves all over their bodies. Jade wasn’t sure how someone could win or lose at whatever the chiz this was, but Robbie managed to fail at it. She was just glad she’d thought to film it on her phone.

Robbie, though, seemed really upset about losing (and also because he’d slapped himself right between his own legs) and this was a big deal to Tori, who asked everyone to come over to her house. But when they got there, Tori disappeared upstairs telling them all, even Jade, to wait in the living room.

Jade and Andre sat on one of the couches, while Robbie lay, crying, on the other. Cat was busy tap-dancing in the kitchen, something Jade didn’t ask about because she didn’t care enough to want to know beyond covering the tap shoes with slippers to silence them.

Someone rang the bell and Trina screamed for them to, “Just open it!”

Beck entered, carrying a watermelon on his shoulder. “Hey.”

“Why are you here?” Jade asked.

“Andre texted and said Robbie got hurt. So I brought a watermelon.” Beck thumped the side of the giant melon.

“Why?” asked Andre.

“Robbie loves watermelons,” Beck said, stating it as a matter-of-fact.

He was apparently right because Robbie accepted the melon and began snuggling it. _Weird_. It was nice, though, to see Beck being a good friend. Jade knew she had her issues with him, but he was, at his core, a nice, Canadian guy. Maybe the niceness _was_ one of the issues.

Finally, Tori came down the stairs, clutching her PearPad. “Okay,” she said, a nervous waver in her voice. “Somebody turn on the TV.”

“I’ll do it,” Jade offered. “But only because I want to.”

“What’s this about?” asked Andre.

“Just watch,” said Tori, as she began to cast from her PearPad to the living room television.

While Trina busied herself with being a total embarrassment, fawning all over Beck and sitting on his lap, the video began. It was two little kids, a girl and a boy, doing the same ham-slapping thing that had caused Robbie to injure himself.

“Aw, that little girl looks just like Tori!” exclaimed Cat.

Tori sighed. “That’s because that little girl is Tori. Seven years ago.”

Oh god, now she was watching little Tori doing something she’d just watched Robbie do in a back alley. “That’s gross,” Jade said, hoping she’d be able to forget about all of this sooner rather than later.

While Jade had zero frame of reference to know what “good” hamboning looked like, everyone else seemed to agree that Tori and her little friend were very good at it. And that’s when Tori revealed that the other kid was Jarold, the guy who’d challenged Robbie in the first place--Seriously, _who cared about any of this_? All Jade wanted to do was to get through the week to Friday so Tori’s dumb birthday would be over and she’d stop stressing about getting her a present. And, crap, she still had to get the present--Oh, chiz, she’d totally zoned out during Tori’s entire story and, while she was sure it was boring and even more boring, she hoped there wasn’t anything important she was supposed to remember. She did at least pick up that Robbie wanted Tori to train him, which sounded also boring, but Tori was so upset about this Jarold guy that Jade figured she’d probably get roped into helping. But, if that did happen, she’d only do it because the kid seemed like a complete wazz-bag who deserved total humiliation.

With a plan in place to start training Robbie the next day, everyone filtered out of the house and Trina immediately went to her room (presumably to rub one out after sitting on Beck’s lap...an image Jade immediately regretted after thinking it), leaving Tori and Jade to themselves long enough for a lingering goodnight kiss before Jade headed home.

She did end up helping, a little. But really, this was Tori’s thing, so Jade let her have it. There was something appealing about watching her be passionate about something, even if it was the dorkiest thing Jade had ever witnessed.

By Thursday, Jade still didn’t have a birthday gift for Tori and she was going to lose her whole evening of possible shopping time to the hambone face-off between Robbie and Jarold. Again, why was she having to commit precious memory space to any of this? Back behind Nozu, Jade watched Mrs. Lee give free sushi to Jarold and his obnoxious friend. Okay, this made sense. Tori was complaining the other day that she didn’t get free dessert anymore. It seemed Mrs. Lee was a fickle fan, moving from one hot local Z-list celebrity to the next.

The Nerd Olympics kicked off when Tori confronted Jarold. While the insults Tori hurled at the two chiz-heads were the most basic schoolyard trash talk, it was fun to watch. Robbie and Jarold sat across from each other and...yep, started slapping themselves. If it wasn’t enough of a (boring) nightmare that they were doing that, Jarold’s pal actually cheated, throwing a piece of sushi at Robbie and throwing him off. It was such an upset that even Jade found herself angry on Robbie’s behalf.

“Wait!” Tori shouted, picking up the offending piece of California roll. “You threw this sushi at him.”

“Did not,” denied Jarold’s creep of a pal.

“Did too,” Tori challenged. “You threw it and _messed up his rhythm_!” She was pissed and, to be honest, Jade was here for it.

The other nerds were not. They tried to duck out, claiming victory, but then Tori made a challenge of her own. Jade was both horrified and fascinated that Tori was actually about to do this. It was nerdy, dorky, goofy, silly, ridiculous, and...well, basically a bunch of things Tori was, anyway. She was also focused. So focused that, when that jerk tried to pull the same flying sushi trick on her that he had on Robbie, Tori caught it _in her mouth_. Yeah, okay, ten points to Gryffindor. But then, even something more bizarre happened. On Jarold’s turn, he mis-boned, but the weird part was that _Jade noticed_. Apparently two days of being around Tori’s whirlwind of a training montage in the afternoons had forced Jade to learn a thing or two about hamboning.

“Mis-bone!” shouted Tori, pointing at Jarold. This meant Tori was the champion.

Jade actually cheered. What was happening? She was...genuinely thrilled that Tori had kicked that loser’s ass. The group carried Tori into Nozu and, when they all sat down at the bar and Mrs. Lee presented Tori with a free bowl of tempura ice cream, Jade wondered if there was even any birthday gift that could compete with how happy Tori looked, right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Wherever You Are_ by Kesha.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episodes:
> 
> Wanko’s Warehouse (4.01)
> 
> The Hambone King (4.02)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> “I’m glad you like it, it took a lot of effort, texting everyone to tell them when to be somewhere,” Jade said sarcastically.
> 
> Something giddy was bubbling up in Tori, “You’re the one throwing my party?” A part of her thought it might’ve been Andre’s idea.
> 
> “Sure,” Jade shrugged, “It’s not a big deal.”
> 
> It felt like one to Tori. She knew she was smiling a big, dopey grin, but she couldn’t suppress it. “Aww, thank you!” she burst out, reaching to hug Jade automatically.
> 
> “Whoa,” Jade laughed. She let Tori hug her for a long moment, but even Tori was conscious of how people might be watching them and she pulled away. It wasn’t like they were hiding anything, but, they were just dating. Casually. They didn’t need to go overboard with anything. “I’m glad you like it, but seriously, it’s not a big deal.” She held Tori’s hand lightly in her own.
> 
> “If you say so,” Tori told her, aware that she was still smiling like an idiot.
> 
> The bell rang, reminding her that she still had a school day to get through. But even Jade seemed reluctant to turn away. Ultimately, the two of them had to walk in separate directions, though they kept their fingers connected until they couldn’t anymore.
> 
> She had not had high expectations at all for seventeen, the boring year sandwiched between driving (not that she’d accomplished that yet) and adulthood. But Tori thought this might be her best birthday yet.


	2. And my heart skips a beat darlin' every time you go

Tori’s expectations for her actual birthday were kind of low. It happened to fall on the most lucrative day in her mother’s industry--April 20th--which meant that her mom was always super busy that day and weeks leading up to it, and it also meant a busy night for her dad (if he was on duty) when people got too high and did stupid things. So Tori had long learned not to expect much on her birthday itself, but her mom always made good money, so they’d usually go out to a big dinner the weekend after--which, in this case, would likely be tomorrow.

So, her birthday falling between the night she was crowned both the Hambone King and the Hambone Queen and the day it would likely actually be celebrated meant that she expected it to feel like any other day. Which she was used to, anyway. Andre always remembered her birthday, but she never really made a big deal about it--growing up with Trina, who insisted on being celebrated for her birth, probably made Tori a lot more demure about her birthday than she might otherwise be.

The day seemed to start out like any other. Though when she was at her locker, both Andre and Robbie came up to her to wish her happy birthday, and then said some variation of “Tonight is going to be awesome!” as they hurried off to their own lockers.

Okay. That was a little weird.

Tori noticed Jade at her locker, and closed her own to go see her. As she walked down the hall, Cat scurried past her, “Tori’s birthday! Tonight at six,” she called, smiling and laughing.

“Uh, thanks, Cat?” It seemed like one of those moments where Cat was talking to herself more than whoever it seemed like she was talking to, but it still made zero sense to Tori.

Jade saw her and her expression warmed, “Hey,” she said, “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks,” Tori replied, “It’s already been weird. People keep talking about tonight?”

“Oh,” Jade closed her locker, and turned to regard Tori, looking amused. “Well, there may be something going on tonight for your birthday.”

Tori was uncertain. “Were they not supposed to tell me? Was it supposed to be a surprise?”

“Well, it’s a surprise in that I guess I forgot to tell you?” Jade admitted, “It’s been a crazy week, what with all the hamboning.”

“It has,” Tori agreed.

“Yeah, it’s literally the nerdiest thing I’ve ever seen, but,” she smirked at Tori, “You’re really good at it.”

It was genuine praise. Tori felt her cheeks get warm. “So wait, we’re really celebrating my birthday tonight?”

“Sure,” Jade said, “We’re going to Karaoke Dokie, tonight at six.”

“Really?” Tori didn’t realize how special it felt to have people actually want to celebrate her on her birthday. “That’s...really amazing, actually.”

“I’m glad you like it, it took a lot of effort, texting everyone to tell them when to be somewhere,” Jade said sarcastically.

Something giddy was bubbling up in Tori, “You’re the one throwing my party?” A part of her thought it might’ve been Andre’s idea.

“Sure,” Jade shrugged, “It’s not a big deal.”

It felt like one to Tori. She knew she was smiling a big, dopey grin, but she couldn’t suppress it. “Aww, thank you!” she burst out, reaching to hug Jade automatically.

“Whoa,” Jade laughed. She let Tori hug her for a long moment, but even Tori was conscious of how people might be watching them and she pulled away. It wasn’t like they were hiding anything, but they were just dating. Casually. They didn’t need to go overboard with anything. “I’m glad you like it, but seriously, it’s not a big deal.” She held Tori’s hand lightly in her own.

“If you say so,” Tori told her, aware that she was still smiling like an idiot.

The bell rang, reminding her that she still had a school day to get through. But even Jade seemed reluctant to turn away. Ultimately, the two of them had to walk in separate directions, though they kept their fingers connected until they couldn’t anymore.

She had not had high expectations at all for seventeen, the boring year sandwiched between driving (not that she’d accomplished that yet) and adulthood. But Tori thought this might be her best birthday yet.

-

Jade came to pick Tori up for the evening at Karaoke Dokie a little early, to make sure they had time to find parking, and sure, maybe kiss a little. Tori came out of the house wearing a tan blazer and a pink top with some kind of psychedelic design on it. It was actually pretty adorable, though when Tori got in the car, Jade said, “That blazer makes you look like you’re running for office.”

Tori frowned, “Is it that bad?”

“I didn’t say it was bad.” Jade appraised her again, and decided to be more honest. “It’s cute.”

“Thanks,” Tori grinned, and then leaned over the center console to kiss Jade. It was a greeting kiss, so they didn’t let it linger too long; they both had a party to attend.

Jade drove them there and miraculously managed to find convenient parking, so she and Tori were the first to arrive. Jade talked with one of the servers about where to put a table big enough for six, and they were soon seated with two tables pushed together, waiting for both the others to arrive and the Buffalo Nuggets Jade ordered.

Tori looked absolutely thrilled to be there, and she kept bumping Jade with her shoulder, watching the door to see when their friends would arrive. But evidently, two girls sitting alone was always a draw for wazz-bags, because before long, some guy came over.

“Hey, this is a pretty big table for two, you girls looking for company?”

“No, thank you, we’re already expecting people,” Tori told him.

“Come on,” the guy wheedled, “I can keep you company until your friends arrive.”

“No,” Jade told him flat-out.

“Okay, okay,” he got up and went away.

Tori watched him go, laughing quietly. “Well, that actually worked this time.”

But as the night went on, it worked less and less.

Their friends arrived not long after, and they settled in for a fun night of appetizers and karaoke. It got out quickly that their table was celebrating a birthday--Andre announcing it during his first karaoke performance was probably a big part of it. And as the night went on, random guys came up to them and offered to buy them more appetizers, or sodas. Tori’s polite declines were usually ignored, and she seemed to eventually accept and enjoy the extra attention from strangers. Jade looked around them, and no one else at the table seemed all that bothered by it, so she didn’t make a fuss, either.

But the truth was, it frustrated her. Would they ever be able to go out together without one or both of them being hit on by a stranger? She’d already been through a version of this with Beck, because girls would approach him all the time, drooling over him, squealing when he spoke to them. It was like dating an entire boyband. But, in those cases, he’d introduce Jade as his girlfriend, which he always felt should be enough (it wasn’t), but then Jade would follow up with an intense glare until they went away. It was a system that usually worked. And when it didn’t, Jade wasn’t afraid to threaten them (something Beck didn’t like so much).

She wanted to threaten and glare at every guy who approached Tori, to tell them to back off and leave them alone. But Tori seemed to be okay with what was happening. Maybe because it was her birthday. Tonight wasn’t really the best night to evaluate things, Jade supposed. But still, all of this left her with a need for more clarity about what they both wanted. She assumed Tori wanted to fend for herself, that she didn’t need to be protected from the average jerk who weaseled his way up to her. Jade, on the other hand, did wonder if they were actually an official couple, if it would just be acceptable to say, “Hey, butt-cheek, stop hitting on my girlfriend. We’re trying to have a nice dinner.” That sounded like it might feel great.

That was something to discuss later.

But maybe sometime sooner rather than too much later.

Still, despite the occasional unwanted interruption, everyone was having a blast. For something Jade thought of on what felt like a whim, this was going really well. She and Tori and Cat had brought down the house with their rendition of _Lady Marmalade_ from _Moulin Rouge_. It did result in more free food, but this time it was compliments of Karaoke Dokie. By the time the night was over, Jade needed to not see another Buffalo Nugget for a long while.

As she helped Tori carry her gifts to the car (a handbound leather journal from Beck, a certificate for a star named Toris Vegas from Robbie, a bedazzled barbeque spatula from Cat to be explicitly used for “all those hamburgers,” and tickets to _Vampire Weekend_ from Andre, which went to everyone...and he also suggested that was all any of them were getting from him for the rest of the year), Jade still struggled with the fact that she hadn’t bought Tori a present. The entire drive back to Tori’s house was mostly Tori buzzing about the night and just being perky, over-caffeinated, and full of sugar.

“I think I maybe had seven sodas,” Tori calculated, bouncing in her seat.

“Just because they brought them over didn’t mean you had to drink them,” Jade said.

“All the singing kept making me thirsty!” Typical Tori logic.

It was cute, though, the way she kept humming along to the radio when their conversation would lull, usually because Jade was navigating Hollywood traffic on a Friday night. Jade, despite the lack of a gift and the irritation she’d felt about the party crashers at the restaurant, felt pretty damn good about the evening’s events.

And she maybe had an idea about how to close it out.

-

Tori thought she might actually be vibrating as she rode home in Jade’s car. There was a distinct sensation of movement in her body totally separate from the hum of the road. She couldn’t understand how Jade drank so much coffee, though she had to admit, she thought her brain was moving much quicker. Or maybe it was just that her mouth never stopped moving, whether singing or chatting with Jade, that made her feel like more was going on in her head.

When they made it back to Tori’s house, Tori leaned over to kiss Jade, feeling euphoric with the buzz of caffeine and the buoyed sense of love and appreciation from her friends. But even though Jade kissed back, she could sense some hesitation in her, and Tori pulled away, letting her fingers trace over Jade’s tattoo as she watched her face, waiting for insight into Jade’s mood.

Finally, Jade spoke. “I feel really bad that I didn’t get you a gift.”

Tori’s jaw dropped open for a moment, and she exclaimed, “What are you talking about? You threw me a party!” Indeed, being able to actually celebrate her birthday on her birthday for once was probably one of the best gifts Tori had ever received.

Jade scoffed, “That’s not a gift.” And before Tori could refute it, she was continuing to speak, “I’m so bad at this, anyway. You know this about me. But I looked for over a week and couldn’t find anything.” She met Tori’s eyes briefly, “I almost bought you a bag of charcoal.”

Tori laughed, but she also recognized Jade’s honesty. She had been dating Beck for almost two years when she’d bought him a can of lemonade for his birthday. And the gift that had helped them get back together during that fight--i.e., the dog that had mauled Beck’s father--had actually been Tori’s idea, ultimately. “Charcoal, huh? Does this have something to do with why Cat got me a spatula?”

“Probably,” Jade admitted. Tori was watching her, smiling. She wanted to reassure her that she’d done plenty, but she could see that Jade was steeling herself for something, and she wanted to see what it was.

Jade caught the hand that was tracing over her tattoo and held it. Tori watched curiously as Jade brought her other hand over and dropped Tori’s just long enough to take off one of her bracelets. Then, Tori felt Jade’s warm fingers on her wrist as the black bracelet attached around her wrist.

Tori lifted her arm to inspect it. It was a black leather bracelet with silver studs on it. Super cute, actually. She really liked it, but she especially liked that it had been Jade’s.

She wondered if it meant something. They had talked about how they wanted things to be more serious before they did more than they were doing now, and lately, Tori had been thinking a lot about what it meant that they were just dating casually. She assumed Jade wasn’t ready for more, because she’d been in a long-term relationship only months before, but Tori was starting to think that she might be ready to make things more official. Casual dating didn’t seem right for what they were doing anymore, and she was longing for some clarity on it, but didn’t know if she should ask.

So she waited, while Jade stared at the bracelet she’d placed on Tori’s wrist, until finally, Jade said, “Happy birthday,” in a thick voice.

Tori wasn’t about to let Jade see that it was maybe a bit of a letdown to realize the bracelet didn’t mean anything official. Regardless, she was still thrilled to have a piece of Jade to keep with her, you know, when it went with her outfit. So instead, she leaned over the center console, “Thank you,” she murmured, “For everything,” and then guided Jade’s lips to hers with a hand at the nape of her neck.

They kissed, long and slow, for several minutes before Tori pulled away. It was getting quite late, and though she wasn’t entirely sure either of her parents would be that concerned about when she got home, she didn’t want to risk missing her curfew. “I’d better go in,” she told Jade, leaning over for one more kiss.

“All right,” Jade said. Her voice was a little quieter than usual, “Goodnight. Happy birthday,” she said again.

“It’s been the best one yet,” Tori told her truthfully, and she hurried into the house.

-

Jade had spiraled. In a matter of seconds, she’d gone from being entirely confident that she was ready to ask Tori to be official to...whatever mess she currently was when she threw herself down on her bed. She’d just gotten home from dropping Tori off and spent the entire drive to her own house replaying the moment in her head.

The plan had been to give her the bracelet and tell Tori how she felt. That she liked spending time with her. That she liked how Tori could wear something as dorky as a blazer and still look incredible. That she wanted them to be something more than casual.

But as things began to unfold, an avalanche of anxieties began to roll through her mind. Jade could be jealous and mean and distant, things she knew only amplified when she was truly invested in someone. She knew how she’d been with Beck, questioning the motive of every girl who came within a six-foot radius of him. Thinking about how she’d felt over the course of the night, her constant irritation with the guys lavishing Tori with attention, that was only going to magnify if this became more serious. Was she actually ready for more? Right up until the moment she’d clasped that bracelet on Tori’s wrist, she’d thought she was. But it was like she could sense Tori’s hopeful expectation of something that Jade suddenly worried she could never actually meet.

And so, she’d just said, “Happy birthday.”

Tori still seemed happy, if her “thank you” kiss had been any indication. It wasn’t like she knew what Jade was thinking. But maybe the best place they could be was in a holding pattern, for now.

The next day, she knew Tori was likely participating in family birthday business on Saturday, so Jade took the opportunity to work out a script idea she’d wanted to write. Truthfully, she hadn’t gotten nearly as much writing done over the past several weeks as she normally did, because there was always something going on, either with Tori or school. Anything she had completed was for class, so spending time with a personal project felt good. And, writing horror always meant she could vent her anger onto the page. In this case, it was a group of fraternity guys being terrorized by a young woman who had been driven mad by their constant inability to respect her personal space. Yeah, it was a little on the nose, but it was cathartic.

She and Tori texted lightly throughout the day, but nothing major. Until Sunday morning.

**So we’re going to see my grandma today**

**Uh oh**

**But you were home on time on Friday**

**And only high on sugar**

**LOL**

**I’m not in trouble**

**It’s for birthday lunch**

**OH**

**Whew**

**Maybe you’ll get a card with a crisp five dollar bill inside**

**I know you’re saying that in that voice**

**And I don’t talk like that!**

**Debatable**

**She’s probably going to ask if I have a boyfriend**

**Should I...tell her about us?**

Crap. Okay. This was...not what Jade wanted to have to deal with right now. Or discuss over text when she knew Tori would be gone to Encino all day with her family. So she didn’t deal with it or discuss it.

**Tell her whatever you want**

**I mean, we’re just dating so**

**Whatever that translates to in Grandma**

**Okay**

Jade didn’t hear much from Tori for the rest of the day, not that she really expected to. Although...even on days when she was busy with her family, Tori wasn’t usually ever this quiet over text. But Jade decided to just focus on writing, for now.

They had a short exchange before bedtime, something that Jade felt should have eased whatever tension she’d been feeling throughout the day, but it didn’t.

**My grandma wants to give me a car  
  
**

**Wow**

**Really?**

It was a pretty exciting sentiment for someone who’d just turned seventeen, but all Jade could think about was that, if Tori had a car, then she wouldn’t need rides.

**But my dad says I can’t have one until I pass my driver’s test**

Score one for Lt. Vega, unknowingly keeping Jade relevant to his daughter.

**Yeah that’s kind of important**

**Guess I’ll need to practice**

**Maybe start with trying not to hit these**

****

**Haha**

Jade wasn’t sure where to go from there, because she still felt the weight of Friday night hanging over her. She at least had a legitimate excuse to duck out of the conversation.

**Kind of on a roll with some writing right now**

**See you tomorrow?**

**K**

**Goodnight**

-

Tori couldn’t figure out why Jade was upset with her. Or, she assumed Jade was upset with her. It was already Tuesday and they hadn’t seen each other outside of school since her birthday party on Friday. Monday had breezed right by and, while they still sat together in Sizowitz’s class and lunch, they hadn’t really interacted in the halls beyond the most basic acknowledgements. Tori even had fries with her lunch and Jade didn’t touch them.

Jade was keeping her distance and, according to Jade, that meant she was upset. Though, if Tori remembered correctly, Jade was also supposed to issue a text that said as much and that definitely hadn’t happened. So...maybe Jade was just having a weird week?

On Tuesday afternoon, Tori finally caught Jade at her locker, before last period. If it was something as simple as one of Jade’s moods, she had a plan that might help things.

“Hey,” she said, trying to be cool and casual, because she still had no idea what was going on. If anything was going on.

“Hey,” replied Jade as she swapped out one notebook for another.

“I was wondering if you might want to go for ice cream after school?” Tori asked. “My grandma actually gave me _twenty_ dollars, so it’s on me.” She flashed a grin, calling back to their text conversation.

“Can’t,” Jade replied, almost too easily.

“Oh,” Tori’s own mood plummeted.

Though, on seeing Tori’s face fall, Jade put a hand on her arm. “I just...I’m really close to getting this script drafted and...I don’t want to lose momentum.”

Okay. That was something. Jade was busy writing. This was a new part of her, at least to Tori, seeing how Jade was during her creative process. “Then maybe tomorrow?”

Jade shrugged and her hand fell away. “Maybe, I don’t know.”

It was possible Tori was pressing too hard. It was so difficult to know when to lean into Jade to put on a little pressure and when to give her space. “Um, okay. Then maybe over the weeken--”

“Tori, seriously. I _don’t know_.” The bell rang. Jade swung her locker door shut. “I’ll talk to you later.” And then she walked off toward her final class of the day.

Well. That was...unexpected. Kind of. It was a pretty nice brush-off to be coming from Jade, but then that meant something was up. Right? If Jade were just being her regular moody self, there would be a bit of teasing, maybe a light insult. But this just felt...personal. Was Tori being needy? All she wanted to do was spend time together. Was that too much to ask from someone who’d just thrown her a birthday party and given her a bracelet? Huh. Maybe Jade regretted giving her the bracelet. Was that it? Then again, Jade was absolutely the type to ask for it back, if that were the case.

Tori felt all of her confusion brewing well into the class period, to the point where she realized she hadn’t heard a word about World History because she was too busy thinking about Jade History. She wondered if Jade was even planning to drive her home. It had been a regular occurrence for weeks now, but what if she’d changed her mind? Or was too busy?

**Are you still able to drive me home today?**

**Yeah of course**

**Why wouldn’t I?**

So they were still on. Which really only confused Tori more. She’d thought that maybe they could talk on the drive home, but Jade was quiet, obviously in her own head. Maybe it was the script. Tori knew that if she had a song she wanted to finish, it was all she could think about. So, she spent the ride scrolling through everyone’s Slap updates.

The silence continued to stretch awkwardly as they pulled into Tori’s driveway. They hadn’t really done much beyond a quick kiss the previous afternoon, though that was more because Tori’s dad was doing yard work than because of whatever weirdness was brewing between them. Tori wondered if Jade even wanted to kiss her right now. Everything about her interactions with Jade since her birthday party had been wild vacillations from euphoria to dread.

She wondered if this was what it was like to be in Jade’s head.

But just as Tori was considering reaching for her bag to exit the car, she felt Jade’s hand on her forearm, a gentle stroke of fingers that quickly turned to grasping. Tori turned her head, and, without any further thought, she and Jade were kissing.

It was instantly passionate, hard and frantic, and made Tori feel grounded in the security of Jade’s affection at the same time she felt out of control with its reality. They shifted closer, Tori’s hands wrapping around Jade and practically clawing at the shirt she was wearing, bunching up the fabric all over Jade’s back. She felt Jade’s hands doing something similar, tugging at her t-shirt over her shoulder blade and down by her waist. Tori’s hipbone was digging into the center console in a way that she was mostly able to ignore because of the sheer elation that Jade was kissing her like she meant something, like she needed her.

Tori knew sometimes such passion burnt out quickly, but this actually took awhile. Tori was trailing lips along Jade’s jaw, nosing at her ear (which made Jade sigh deliciously near Tori’s own) and then Tori was leaving harsh, desperate kisses down the slope of Jade’s neck, listening for the soft, needy sounds it produced in Jade’s throat.

Tori ended her kisses at the apex of Jade’s neck and shoulder, lavishing attention there with her tongue, but when she pulled away to start kissing her again, she paused. “Oh,” she murmured.

“What, what is it?” Jade sounded urgent and distracted.

“I, uh,” Tori tried to arrange her face so that she wasn’t grinning, “May have left a...mark.”

“Tori,” Jade sighed, sounding a little frustrated. She flipped down her visor to look in the mirror. It was verging toward the back of Jade's neck, on the sensitive skin just behind the main tendons of her neck below her ear (sensitive skin that Jade had been very receptive to the attention Tori lavished on it), and she had to twist to see it. With her hair down over her shoulders, Tori didn’t think it would be visible.

“Sorry,” she said anyway, though she knew she didn’t sound sorry even as she said it.

“Come here,” was Jade’s response, though her tone made it sound much more like a demand.

“Why?” Tori wanted to know.

“Just do it,” Jade growled.

Tori leaned forward to kiss again, but then Jade was wrenching down the loose neck of her top, over her shoulder. Tori sputtered, realizing this was revenge, but didn’t have time to protest Jade stretching the garment before Jade’s mouth was on the slope of her shoulder, lips and tongue tracing muscle and settling on a tender spot on the top of Tori’s shoulder, and Tori whimpered at the scrape of teeth.

Jade pulled away, satisfied, and Tori leaned back to look at the mark she’d left in her own visor mirror. Most of her shirts would cover this one. She shot a smirk at Jade, who looked more relaxed than Tori had seen in days, and they surged together for another round of urgent kisses, until all the uncertainty Tori had been carrying around felt purged, poured into Jade, and for the moment, things felt like a stasis.

When they finally pulled apart, Tori said, “Well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Jade said. Already her voice was more absent. “I’m going to head home and write.”

“Okay,” Tori said, and in her mind, she figured that meant she should leave Jade alone with her creative process.

Wednesday was similar, if lacking in new hickeys. Jade had been distant all day, apparently still working on...whatever it was she was writing, because several times she drew out her notebook to jot things in it, even when they were sitting together at lunch. Though, she did steal Tori’s entire bag of chips and ate them. Tori wasn’t even mad about it, because at least it felt like they were interacting like dating people should.

And by Thursday, Tori realized that that’s what was bothering her about this. She knew that Jade was moody, and she thought she knew what she was signing up for when it came to dating her, but it hadn’t felt at all like they were even dating all week. Not like they always had time to go on actual dates during the school week, but in the previous few weeks, there had been indications that Jade was thinking about her, even if it was as simple as picking her up for school and driving through Jet Brew with her. Jade wasn’t even meeting at her locker much this week between classes.

This felt more like before they had defined things as dating, back when they were just kissing a lot and definitely not talking about it.

Tori didn’t like that it felt like they were reverting to something less serious in the relationship, but she also didn’t know what to do about it. Any time she talked to Jade about it, as dismissive as Jade could be, she also tended to insist that everything was normal, she was just busy. And the kisses they shared in Tori’s driveway, even on that Thursday, felt like reassurance, even if it was the only true reassurance Tori had.

By Friday, she had decided that she would wait until Jade gave her an indication that her entire headspace wasn’t being taken up by whatever creative project was in the works. So she told Jade that on Saturday, she was planning to go with the guys to see the newest dinosaur bone that had been discovered in California.

“Okay, have fun,” had been Jade’s nonchalant reply.

And that settled it.

Except that “the guys” ended up being “just Beck” when Andre and Robbie decided over lunch that they wanted to enter a video contest for free PearPad 3s and would need the entire weekend to shoot it. While Tori felt like it should be totally fine to go with Beck for a trip to a museum, she also didn’t want to upset things with Jade while they were currently so precariously balanced. Because she and Jade still weren’t defined in their casual relationship, it was completely possible that anyone who heard about Tori and Beck going out on a Saturday night would assume it was something more than it wasn’t. Gossip moved at light-speed at Hollywood Arts and she didn’t need rumors to complicate things.

She told Beck she couldn’t go, bumbling with her phone and claiming to be “busy”, but he seemed to see through her flimsy refusal.

“We were just talking about the museum--”

“Dude, I can’t go with _just_ you,” Tori said.

Beck laughed. “Why not?”

“Because, if it’s just the two of us, then it’s like…” She watched as Beck urged her to finish her sentence. “ _A date_.”

“All right, I get it,” he said. “You don’t want to go on a date. So, we’ll do the opposite of a date.”

Tori wasn’t sure what he was pitching to her. “Opposite?”

Beck laid out the rules for his plan: Don’t dress nice. Eat terrible food. Do something unfun. “Then it’s not a date. It’s just us hanging out.”

“Yeah,” Tori agreed, seeing his point. “That’s not a date. It’s like, uh…an _opposite date_.”

Beck let her know he’d pick her up at seven the next evening and Tori assured him that she wasn’t looking forward to it.

She also wasn’t looking forward to telling Jade, no matter how opposite this non-date was. Everything had been so unpredictable this week, Tori decided she’d keep this particular detail of her night out to herself. So, when Cat asked her about her plans for Saturday, she realized she’d slipped up by even mentioning Beck’s name because, as predicted, Cat assumed it was an actual date.

“It’s not a date.”

“Oh,” said Cat. “ _Right_.” Then she gave Tori a series of over-exaggerated winks.

“Stop doing that with your eye!” demanded Tori. “We’re just hanging out. You know. Friends.” It was true. Though, that was also eerily similar to how she described her time spent with Jade and the two situations were not nearly the same.

“Oh, so I can tell people you’re going out with Beck?”

“We’re not going out.” Tori didn’t know how many other ways she could say it.

“So you’re staying in with him?” Cat asked.

“No!” Cat obviously wasn’t getting it so finally Tori just said, “Just don’t tell anyone!”

“Okay,” Cat agreed. “I’ll keep your dirty secret.”

“No, it’s not a dirty sec--” But Cat was already sprinting away from her as the bell rang. Tori sighed and hoped that, at least if Cat thought it was a secret, she might keep her mouth shut. Which...okay, maybe that meant it was a secret and that was something that made Tori uncomfortable, though it still seemed like the better option than making things any weirder with Jade, right now.

As if to prove a point, Jade came around the corner, eyed Tori’s shirt and asked, “Hey, that a new top?”

Tori glanced down. “Yeah.”

“ _Yikes_ ,” Jade commented, as she continued walking.

Mmmkay, that’s where Jade was, right now. Fine. Tori took it in stride. Though, when she glanced back down to reassure herself that this was a perfectly good shirt and what even was Jade’s problem anyway, Tori did realize the scoop neck style did leave a certain section of her skin exposed that was, by now, a mostly vanished hickey.

-

Yeah, Jade immediately spotted the still-slightly bruised patch of skin and figured Tori didn’t realize she was advertising. It was mostly hidden by her hair, but it was still visible if you know what to look for. She was also, sure, _in a mood_. She had been all week. With the exception of a few minutes each afternoon in Tori’s driveway, she’d kept her distance and, most of all, her feelings from Tori.

She at least knew she had a couple more days to herself. Even though she’d finished her first draft last night, Jade had let the excuse of needing to write bleed over into the weekend. Tori wanted to go see some dinosaur bone and, despite blowing it off as something she had no interest in, Jade may have been interested in taking a look at something that had been dead for literally millions of years. But Tori had made it clear it was a trip with “the guys” and Jade picked up on the fact that she wasn’t invited.

“Hi, Jade,” greeted Cat, who practically bolted right up to her locker. What, had she just been standing there, waiting to launch herself into Jade’s personal space?

“Hey,” was the most she could muster.

“Do you want to do something fun with me tomorrow night?” asked Cat.

Hey, well, Jade’s was _wide open_ so, “Sure. What?”

“I don’t know. I figured you’d pick, because you’re bossy.”

“ _Don’t say I’m bossy!_ ” demanded Jade.

“Okay!” whined Cat. “But you are.” When Jade glared at her, Cat insisted, “A little bit.”

“Whatever, yeah. Let’s hang out tomorrow night.” She hadn’t really hung out with just Cat in a while, anyway.

“Okay. But we can’t invite Tori to come with us because she’s--” Cat caught herself and stomped her foot like she’d done something wrong.

Jade was pretty sure she already knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but part of her was suddenly scared it wouldn’t be what she expected. “ _What’s_ Tori doing tomorrow night?”

“Nothing! I don’t know. She told me not to tell you.”

What could Tori possibly be doing that she both hadn’t told Jade about _and_ also asked Cat to keep quiet? Jade had a strong feeling she wasn’t going to be happy about it. Since when did Tori keep secrets from her? Sure, they were having a weird week, but things were, at least, kind of normal between them. She needed Cat to cough up the details, so Jade began one of her countdowns and Cat squirmed and pleaded all the way down to, “ _One!_ ”

“Okay, okay!” Cat caved and said, “Tori and Beck are going out together.”

Jade was convinced she was either still asleep or had maybe fallen down the stairs at school while eating a sandwich and hit her head. “ _WHAT?_ ”

“But it’s not a date,” Cat was quick to clarify. “They’re just hanging out as friends.”

Yeah, okay, that sounded way too familiar. Jade needed to find out what the hell was happening. “Okay. Well, I know what you and I are doing tomorrow night.”

“Going to see the big bone?” asked Cat.

“No! We’re going to find out where Tori and Beck are going and _see_ whether or not they’re _just friends_.” Jade knew the quickest way to resolve this was to send Tori a text and ask her about it. They weren’t riding home together today because Tori had a dermatologist appointment about something she’d refused to further expand upon when she’d mentioned it to Jade. Now she wondered if there even was an appointment or if Tori was trying to distance herself. She also felt that, if Tori hadn’t told her and if she’d sworn Cat to secrecy, she certainly wasn’t going to reveal her plans in a text.

Tori wasn’t revealing much at all, barely sending her any messages that evening, which just put Jade in deeper funk. She decided to go to a late show of _Christine_ , an old movie about a killer car, at one of her favorite revival theaters. At least she could be distracted for a couple hours. Except she kept thinking about Tori getting freaked out and hiding her face every time they watched anything remotely scary together.

Saturday was more of the same, though Tori did send one video of the bathroom door, where, on the other side, Trina was clearly trying to sing something in the shower. It boosted Jade’s mood for a moment but then it sank back down when she realized she didn't have anything to say back. She couldn’t just carry on like everything was fine if Tori and Beck were _going out_ on some secret date.

The truth was, deep down inside, Jade was pretty sure it was just a friendly outing. Knowing Tori and how nerdy she was, she wouldn’t sneak around. But Jade also knew _she’d_ been acting oddly all week, trying to wrap her head around what she wanted and if she was ready for what she thought that would be. Her biggest fear was that maybe she, in being distant and weird and, well, _Jade_ about it all had actually pushed Tori too far. She’d repeated the line about how they were “just dating” so many times, maybe Tori decided that’s all she wanted. In which case, she could do what she pleased.

That didn’t mean Jade had to be happy about it. And it didn’t mean she couldn’t go take a look. She picked up Cat around six-thirty and bought her an ice cream cone, hoping it would be enough to convince her to spill what she knew. When that didn’t work (and Jade threw the ice cream out the window of her moving car), she resorted to espionage. Pretending to be Cat (look, Jade was _really good_ at voices, she knew that about herself), she called Tori and found out they were at a food truck on Melrose and La Brea. Great.

Except it was peak traffic on a Saturday night in Hollywood, which meant it was going to take forever to get there.

-

Tori was having a good time on her very decidedly non-date with Beck. She wore sweatpants and hadn’t showered that day (though she had the night before, so she wasn’t, like, totally disgusting), making this the most casual outing she’d ever been on. Which, of course, was the point. Beck’s choice of bad food had been a seafood truck, but it was actually such a perfect choice that the possibility of food poisoning had deterred them from eating much past the first bite. Now they were on their way to the Valley to pick up his aunt’s dog from an animal hospital in Sherman Oaks. And while she was enjoying time with a friend, she did realize all of this meant they were never actually going to make it to see the big bone on display and that had been the entire point of the night out, in the first place.

Her phone rang and the Caller ID showed Cat’s number. It was the second time she’d called that night. When Tori answered and Cat was, again, asking where they were, she thought it was weird.

“Hey, how come you keep calling and asking where we are?” Tori asked. As Cat hemmed and hawed about it, Tori realized this could mean trouble. “You didn’t tell anyone that Beck and I are out together, did you?”

Cat mumbled something about that being crazy, then there was a shuffle. “Hi, Tori!” she greeted, right in the middle of the conversation. She then went on about how her brother had locked her in a closet and that she was calling Tori out of boredom. Okay. Weird, but not at all out of the ordinary for Cat. Tori filled her in on the dog situation and the conversation abruptly ended.

“What was all that?” Beck asked.

“Just...Cat.”

“I meant the part about not telling anyone we were out together. Jade doesn’t know?”

“She knows I have plans,” Tori said. “She just...may not know...that it’s just us.”

“Ah,” he said. And nothing else.

“Is that...bad?”

“It’s probably not good. But I also know why you didn’t tell her.”

“You do?”

“She freaks out about stuff.”

He wasn’t wrong. But his simple assessment didn’t feel totally right, either.

By the time they were sitting in Pet Mergency waiting for Beck’s aunt’s dog’s prescribed ointment, Tori still hadn’t quite pinpointed just why she hadn’t told Jade about her night out with Beck. There was nothing to hide and, truthfully, as fun as the night had been, she was stuck doing unfun things instead of going to the museum like she’d wanted.

At least she and Beck were getting along. Tori had been a little worried that her dating Jade might make things weird between them, but tonight had proved they could just hang out. The regular friend kind of hanging out.

But then, and maybe this was because everyone was bored and stuck in the waiting room together, the people around them began asking questions. Were she and Beck brother and sister or were they dating? What kind of question even was that? They tried to reassure the total strangers around them that they, Tori and Beck, were only friends, but no one seemed to believe them. Tori did her best to explain that Beck and Jade were exes and she and Jade were...friends (suddenly, on the spot, Tori realized she wasn’t sure if she needed to out herself in this moment...not that she was...anything...well, this was a self-evaluation for another time) but that just seemed to stir the pot.

“It would be weird if he and I dated,” Tori said, trying to make the questions stop.

“Why would that be weird?” asked a bald man to their left.

“Because we all hang out together,” said Beck.

Well, not totally the main reason why it would be weird. But Tori wasn’t sure what to add that wouldn’t just lead to even more questions. It didn’t matter that she didn’t interject, because another man on the other side of them decided it was probably because Jade still liked Beck. Which was something Tori was pretty fairly positive was absolutely the furthest from the truth.

Beck said something about Jade walking out on him, which made Tori raise her eyebrows because, really, she’d been there when Beck had decided not to follow her. Not that this room of strangers needed to know all the details. Yet another guy proposed that maybe Tori and Beck had feelings for each other, which made Tori’s skin itch with how terribly off he was. Seriously, why did these people even care?

“Is our dog ointment ready?” Tori called back to the vet technician at the desk.

Now Beck was getting needled by the room about why he’d let Jade go and that was apparently enough to get Beck to try and shut the conversation down. When that wasn’t happening he finally said, “Okay, look. I’ll always love Jade as a friend. But as a girlfriend she was...she’d always freak out over every little thing.”

There it was again, Beck reducing Jade to someone who freaks out about everything and yet, that hadn’t really been Tori’s experience. Or, well. Sure, she definitely did freak out about stuff, but usually when provoked. And maybe sometimes just because she felt like it.

A little girl seated behind them suggested it was because girls react that way when they’re scared, which Tori could understand since she was, in fact, a girl. But also, “Jade isn’t scared of anything,” she said to the girl and also to the older woman who’d been the one to start this entire conversation.

But then the little girl suggested Tori wanted Beck for herself and that was enough. This was stupid. Why were they even talking to these people about this?

“Beck and I are just friends, all right?” Tori said, hoping the ointment would be ready aaaaany second.

“So,” spoke up the man on their right. “You told Jade you were hanging out with him tonight?”

To quote Jade from yesterday... _yikes_.

-

Somehow, Cat was a savant when it came to animal hospitals in Sherman Oaks. Not really a surprise and, frankly, convenient. When they arrived at Pet Mergency, Jade didn’t even wait for Cat when she threw her car in park and flung herself out the driver’s side door. The anxiety of everything was gnawing at her as she walked up to the door of the animal hospital and saw...Tori yelling at a little girl and Beck sitting next to her with a dog on a leash. They both looked like they’d just rolled out of bed on a Sunday morning. Not, like, together. In fact, the scenario she was looking at seemed to be the polar opposite of anything fun or sexy.

She’d been thinking about what she’d say when she saw them together and had settled on, “And there they are,” which, given what she’d just taken in upon entry, already sounded way less accusatory than it had when she’d conceived of it.

“Oh, man,” groaned Tori.

Beck seemed surprised to see her and Cat began trying to act like this was so unexpected. At least Cat gave up the ruse and finally sat down. Also, what was up with this waiting room that it seemed like everyone was looking at her like they knew who she was?

“Wait, so that’s Jade?” asked an older woman, looking to Tori.

“Look, Jade,” Tori began, obviously feeling a need to defend herself. “I can explain why Beck and I--”

“Come on!” Some guy just decided to interrupt Tori and Jade really did not understand what was happening in this waiting room. “How’re you going to explain that you’re out on a date with her ex-boyfriend?”

That was rich. Yeah, Jade had briefly considered that as a reality, but there was no way that was what she was looking at. She hoped.

“It’s not a date!” corrected Beck, sounding like it was maybe the hundredth time he’d had to say it.

The older woman indicated between Beck and Jade, “They broke up. Tori has every right to go out with Beck.” Okay, did they all do a friendship circle earlier and that’s why everyone knew their names?

“Not really _going out_!” Tori sounded like she was maybe three seconds away from losing her damn mind.

“Hey, Beck,” asked the annoying little girl. “Which one of them do you think is prettier?”

Finally, an interesting question. Which, of course, Beck refused to answer.

“You have no right to be mad at us,” started Tori. “Beck and I are only--”

Jade didn’t need to hear anymore. “I’m not.”

Tori stared at her in disbelief. “You’re not...what?”

“I’m not mad,” Jade said.

“Careful, it’s a trick!” shouted Cat.

Fair. Jade had spent a long time setting a particular bar for herself and her outrage. “It’s not a trick. I thought...I was mad but…Now that I’m here, what do I have to be mad about? We broke up. We’re all friends.” She looked at Tori. That wasn’t the right word. “Kind of. I mean, any of us should be able to hang out with whoever we want.”

“Still thinking it’s a trick,” chimed Cat.

“It’s _not_!” Jade repeated. She watched Tori’s face for a reaction, but Beck cut right between them.

“You’re really okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Jade assured him.

She could tell he was genuinely surprised. “That's...that’s pretty cool.”

The moment was broken when the vet technician presented Tori and Beck with a tube of ointment which, hmmkay, what was wrong with that dog?

While Cat chatted with the tech about her brother’s turtle, Jade made a decision.

“Tori, will you come with me?” Jade asked. “I mean, unless you two had big ointment plans. I just, um, we should talk.”

Tori nodded and looked to Beck. “Would you mind?”

Beck shrugged. “Go ahead. Cat, what are your thoughts on dog ointment?”

“Sounds fun,” Cat giggled.

Jade reached out for Tori’s hand, wondering if she’d take it. Which was dumb to even worry about because Tori quickly accepted, allowing their fingers to lock together. As they left the waiting room (that, by the way, smelled like hamster shavings), Jade swore she heard one of the guys go, “Ohhhhhh, I get it.”

When they got in the car, Tori pulled off her sweatshirt and shoved it under her seat. “I’m...going to take this off, because...it kinda smells like bad clams. Long story.”

“I’d like to hear about it,” Jade offered, “But first, what the hell was even happening in there?”

Jade didn’t know whether Tori was nervous or if it was just that they’d barely talked all week (or, hell, maybe she’d had too much caffeine, no way to know what she and Beck had at that food truck), but as they started driving back home, Tori was talking almost nonstop. Jade was listening, but parts of it were more interesting than other parts.

The weird people in the waiting room, though. Tori took the cue and started there, which, good, because Jade was genuinely curious what _that_ had been all about. It wasn’t often that she walked into an animal hospital and everyone knew her name--evidently, she wasn’t Cat.

“I don’t even know where to start with all the people in there,” Tori was saying, “This one lady was asking if Beck and I were siblings because apparently we have _similar bone structure_ ,” she rolled her eyes.

“That’s...actually kind of true,” Jade said thoughtfully, “Maybe I have a type.”

Tori looked over at her and grinned slightly, but then continued on her rant about how everyone was assuming that a guy and a girl couldn’t be just friends, and they were both too attractive to not be dating. “And, okay, first of all, it’s so stupid that it was so incomprehensible to any of them that he and I could be just friends, but it was also just...so frustrating, that I didn’t know if I could just tell them that, hey, the whole reason this might be weird is because you and _I_ are kind of a thing?” The lilt of the question mark bothered Jade, but there was no time to address it, because Tori was barreling on, “And no one was even considering that! It just made me feel, like...I don’t know.” Tori trailed off, apparently at a loss for words.

“Sounds frustrating,” Jade said, meaning it. She thought she knew exactly what Tori had been going through lately.

“It was!” Tori exclaimed, and kept talking about how even Beck was making it sound like the weirdness was all about his history with Jade, but Tori didn’t know if it was because he was discounting their dating-ship, or if he just wasn’t comfortable putting Tori’s business out there for strangers to peruse, but it had only added to the already uncomfortable situation.

Since the subject was Beck, Jade steered Tori away from nosy pet owners and dog ointment to the rest of her evening, “So, what did you and Beck do tonight, anyway?”

Tori looked at her skeptically, “You’re asking as if you and Cat weren’t following us around all evening.”

“Hey, I only got the basics out of you,” Jade replied, “Food truck and animal hospital.”

“You--wait, what do you mean _you_ got the basics?” Jade glanced over to see a glimpse of dawning comprehension on Tori’s face, “You! Wait, was I _ever_ talking to Cat?”

“A little bit,” Jade said evasively, enjoying watching Tori put it together.

“That second call!” Tori gasped, “I totally thought it was weird when Cat said hi to me again in the middle of a conversation. That was a switch!”

“You caught us,” Jade confirmed, smirking.

Tori sounded a little awed, “You are _really_ good at voices.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jade rolled her eyes. Tori should know this by now, how many acting exercises had they done together?

“Except for mine,” Tori insisted.

“That’s a matter of opinion.” Jade didn’t want to debate the merits of impersonation versus hyperbole, “So, come on. What did you guys do?”

“Well,” Tori said, sounding only a little hesitant, “He made an effort to make sure nothing about the evening seemed ‘date-like,’ so, we coined the term ‘opposite date.’” Jade was already rolling her eyes. Beck hadn’t done exactly this when they first started going out, but he had done everything he could to obscure the idea that they were on a date. They were both younger then, though, and that could probably be chalked up to youthful inexperience. But Jade had remembered feeling desperate and confused and wanting to know if he was taking anything they were doing seriously.

Which, now that she thought about it, _ouch_.

Tori was explaining about the lack of showers, the hideous outfits, the bad food, and the intention to not do anything fun. Jade wondered why they would even hang out under those circumstances to begin with.

“And the seafood truck was...well, let’s just say it’s probably good we didn’t finish our clams.”

“So that’s what you mean about the sweatshirt.” Without it, Tori was down to the kind of casual t-shirt Jade had borrowed to sleep in, except it fit Tori better.

“Yeah,” Tori shuddered, “I mean, in retrospect, I don’t know why we had to risk food poisoning to make it clear we don’t like each other that way.”

“Yeah, well, Beck’s ego makes it _kinda_ hard for him to accept that,” Jade drawled. “Not his fault you’re statistically a weirdo.”

“Uh, thanks?” Tori said uncertainly.

“I mean it in a good way. So, bad clams.”

“Yeah, very bad, and then we had to go to pick up the dog, and the dog ointment.” Tori was back to talking about all the weird people in the vet’s office again, including the little girl who told them all that girls freak out about things when they’re scared.

“I told them you aren’t scared of anything,” Tori said, matter-of-factly.

Jade’s mind wandered for a moment as Tori continued dissecting all the assumptions being thrown around at the animal hospital. That Beck had complained of her freaking out over things, well, that didn’t exactly surprise her. It had been a big part of their relationship, partly based on habits formed early on, when Jade had been much more insecure about having such a hot boyfriend. Some of that, though certainly not all, had subsided over the years, and her ‘freaking out’ changed so it was usually less about her needing his validation and more about her needing independence from his meddling. Fear early on, but then more likely frustration.

But now that she had spent the evening freaking out over _nothing_ , Jade realized how wrong Tori was. Jade _was_ scared, and she was scared of losing Tori, of finding out that she’d waited too long to tell Tori how she was feeling, and that Tori might lose interest in her and find someone else. It wasn’t even really about distrust of either Tori and Beck, it was about distrust in herself, to be able to handle what it was that she wanted: an actual relationship with Tori.

They were weaving along Mulholland when Jade sensed her opportunity. The overlooks would be closed very soon, but they still had some time, and might have more privacy.

“And,” Tori was moaning, “The whole _point_ of this ‘opposite date’ was to see the new dinosaur bone at the Museum of Large Bones, and we didn’t even do that!” She flailed her arms in frustration, “And I don’t even know if it just wasn’t on Beck’s agenda or the dog ointment interrupted it or what! But I didn’t get to see the big bone!”

“Yeah, that can happen when you go on a date with Beck, opposite or no,” Jade smirked, “He’s pretty good at getting what he wants.”

Tori looked at her, wide-eyed. “Uhh...what?”

“Oh my god, not like that!” Jade actually laughed, “He’s just annoyingly persuasive about some things, but he’s a gentleman in...that regard.”

“That’s, uh…” Tori was starting to realize that they were pulling off the road and parking at one of the overlook spots. “What are we…?”

Jade put the car in park, and put her hands in her lap. She wanted to do this right, and that meant not letting herself get distracted by the...physicality of Tori. “Listen, I’m...I’m sorry I’ve been so weird this week.” It was hard to explain exactly what was going with her without revealing her hand entirely, but she tried, “I mean, part of it was that I was writing, and sometimes I do get hyper-focused on stuff like that. But…” she trailed off, still considering how to phrase what she wanted to say.

“I’m sorry, too,” Tori replied, “I had no reason to keep hanging out with Beck a secret from you. It was originally supposed to be an outing with all of the guys, and when Robbie and Andre bailed, I thought it might be weird. I didn’t want to freak you out. But I also didn’t want to bother you, because...I don’t know. I know you said you’d avoid me when you were mad at me, so I thought you might be...a little mad at me.”

“I wasn’t,” Jade sighed, “But I can see why you thought that.” She finally turned in her seat to look at Tori. “It’s just...when Beck and I broke up, I was sure I’d never date anyone else as pretty as him. And now I’m dating you, and it’s so much harder.” Tori was already smiling _that_ stupid bright smile, though her eyes were still concerned. “I was starting to feel that I wanted things to be more serious between us, but I also know myself, and I know that when things get serious, I get jealous and possessive. And I _already_ have the urge to be that way toward you, and I don’t want it to get worse. It’s not pretty, and I know that. But.” She shrugged, “There it is. That’s what I’ve been dealing with this week.”

Tori listened, her smile fading into a more serious expression, but not gone. When Jade had finished speaking, Tori looked down at her hands for a few moments before she said, “You know, when you gave me that bracelet on my birthday, I was kind of hoping it might mean something...more. But then you just said happy birthday.”

“Well, it _was_ your birthday.”

Tori laughed, once. “Okay, but you know what I mean.”

Jade nodded, “Yeah, I do. And I should’ve, but…” Jade threw up her hands, “I just don’t even know what to do, am I supposed to just ask you, Tori Vega, do you want to be my girlfriend?” It was almost sarcastic, the way she just threw it out there.

“Yes!” Tori said, sounding agitated.

Jade stared at her. “Yes, you want me to ask, or yes, you want to be my girlfriend?”

“Both, you idiot!” Tori was laughing fully now.

“Oh,” Jade said, still staring. “That easy, huh?”

“For now it is,” Tori replied, “And anything else, we can figure out as it comes up. Together.”

It was corny, but Jade liked the sound of it. She was ready to reach for Tori, to kiss her, but to her shock, Tori was opening her car door, clicking the unlock button. “Where are you going?” Did Tori want to, like, stand on the edge of a cliff overlooking the city like some kind of weird Titanic thing?

But then the back door to Jade’s car was opening, and she got it. She hurried to join Tori in the backseat.

They nuzzled close, trading soft kisses at first, and Tori warned, “Remember. I didn’t shower today. I showered last night, but…”

Jade didn’t care. “You smell fine.” She guided Tori’s face toward hers for another kiss.

It wasn’t like the kisses in the driveway at first. They were getting reacquainted with each other, after a strained week, and after agreeing to be in a relationship. Their kisses reflected that, soft and intimate, hands on their faces and necks, or wrapped around their bodies. In spite of moving to the back seat, they were still sitting, at least at first.

But the kisses turned hungry as passion reawakened, and they began to rival the ferocity of their kisses in the driveway this week, the only thing about their relationship that had seemed real. But it _was_ real now, and it was as if it sunk in for both of them at the same moment, and Tori was pressing against Jade more fiercely, and Jade found herself barely staying upright, trying to decide if she wanted to just let Tori press her down into the back seat of her car or stay afloat a little longer, pushing back just a little more.

Before any of that could really happen, though, a loud grumbling sound filled the back seat of the car. Tori pulled back, looking sheepish.

“What _was_ that?” Jade asked.

“Sorry,” Tori said, “My stomach. You know how the clams were bad? Yeah, I really haven’t eaten anything tonight and...I’m _starving_.”

“Typical Beck,” Jade snarked, though it was really just to scapegoat him one more time. Jade leaned back up to kiss Tori again, lingering only a few moments before pulling away to say, “Then I guess I’d better take my girlfriend to get some dinner.”

-

Thirty minutes later, they sat in the parking lot of InsideOut Burger, empty wrappers and half-eaten boxes of fries littered between the front seats. Tori knew she’d been ravenous but it seemed that Jade was also hungry, given the way she’d kept up with Tori’s pace. Now, though, they were both casually sipping shakes while listening to the radio. Tori watched as Jade did something on her phone, just enjoying her fries (and she must have seemed really hungry because Jade had actually left them alone). After such an intense evening, it was nice to just sit and enjoy each other’s company. You know, as girlfriends.

Tori’s phone chimed in her lap and when she picked it up, she saw there was a notification from The Slap.

**@JadeWest wants to change their relationship status to:**

**In a relationship with @ToriVega**

“Yeah?” Tori asked. This was such an obvious advancement to happen next, but she hadn’t ever thought this far ahead. “Slap official?”

“Is it even real if it’s not?” Jade teased.

Tori accepted the request and clicked around until she’d also adjusted her own profile. The last time she’d even touched this setting was when she’d dumped Steven Carson, over a year ago, because he was a two-timing jerk. Also, come to think of it in light of her recent experience, not a great kisser. She still wanted to know what the Hundred Day Kiss entailed, because they’d never actually made it that far. She wondered if Jade knew. Because, really, they were probably pretty close to their own. Tori opened her calendar and started to calculate how many days had passed since...hmmm...where was she actually supposed to start?

“Why so serious?” Jade asked.

“Huh?” Tori glanced up. “Oh, I’m trying to figure out...would I start counting from the first time we kissed or the first time we actually went on a date?”

“Counting what?”

“Toward our Hundred Day Kiss.”

Jade almost spit out her milkshake. “Are you being serious right now?”

Okay, what was happening? It seemed like a legitimate question. “...Yes?”

“Tori.”

“What? I never actually got to have mine with Steven and he made such a big deal out of it, I figured it’s something...everyone does...and now I’m realizing maybe it’s not a thing.”

“Oh, no, it’s a thing.”

“So then what is it?” asked Tori. Jade wouldn’t answer and just kept smiling to herself. “ _Jade_!”

“Oh my god. I can’t believe this is happening. Sweet Summer Tori.” Jade reached over and gently stroked Tori’s cheek for emphasis. “It’s when the guy takes the girl into a closet to make out and then puts his hand up her shirt for the first time.

This time, it was Tori who nearly spit milkshake all over the dash of Jade’s car. “Wait, _what_?”

“In faster circles, it’s known as Stealing Second.”

“You’re saying that I was going around telling people about my Hundred Day Kiss with Steven and you all knew he was going to…” Tori looked down at herself. “ _Ew_!”

“Yep.”

“Why didn’t you warn me?” Tori asked.

“Uh, well, first of all, I didn’t like you then. But mostly you were talking about it non-stop so it seemed like you were totally on board.”

“Ugh,” Tori’s face twisted into a frown. “What a creep.” She began to gather up her trash to stuff back into the fast food bag. “Well, I guess we don’t need to worry about that milestone.”

“Yeah, you were pretty quick to make the move on that one. Well, kind of. But if you still want to find a dark closet so you can feel me up, I’m on board. Or, you know,” Jade smirked at her. “Whichever way you want to do it.”

Tori blushed. “I’ll have to check my calendar.”

Jade was tapping away at her own phone as she finished her fries, and then a few moments later, she stuffed her own food trash into the bag and asked, “What time do you have to be home tonight?”

Tori shrugged, “It’s the weekend, so, midnight? If my parents are even paying attention.”

“Good,” Jade put the car in gear and started backing out of their parking spot.

“Where are we going?” Tori asked.

Jade flashed her a hard look, “Oh, I don’t know, what’s the one thing you haven’t been able to stop talking about all night?” Tori stared back blankly. She could think of a few things. “We’re going to see the big bone,” Jade finally told her.

Tori smiled, “Really?”

Jade rolled her eyes, “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Tori felt warm, happy. “I didn’t know you wanted to go.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jade asked, “It’s a bone. Dead things fascinate me.”

That was fair. Tori had been thinking of it more like an educational thing, something to share with her guy friends who she knew all went through extensive dinosaur phases as kids, but she could see the appeal of it from Jade’s perspective.

Jade drove them through the city to the Museum of Large Bones. It was getting late, but the exhibit was open for at least another hour. As they parked and got out of the car, Tori suddenly felt self-conscious. “I don’t know if I can wear _this_ to the museum,” she told Jade, gesturing to her sweatpants and t-shirt; her smelly sweatshirt was still tucked under the seat. It was slightly chilly since the sun was long gone, but not enough to make her want to put back on the sweatshirt.

Jade side eyed her, “It’s a big bone, I don’t think it cares what you’re wearing.”

“I know,” Tori sighed, but it was less about the bone and more about being accompanied by Jade, who looked amazing in her head to toe black ensemble. When she had been hanging out with an equally gross looking Beck, it hadn’t mattered so much, but now Tori felt a little self-conscious. It had also been part of the reason she had insisted they go through the drive-thru at InsideOut Burger instead of going inside, not that Jade seemed to mind.

But they were going inside the museum. Tori insisted on paying admission, since Jade had bought the burgers, and as they walked around looking at the bones of long-dead things with Jade holding her hand, Tori decided that maybe it didn’t matter so much what she was wearing.

Soon, they were in front of the main exhibit: the big bone, the femur of the Gargantosaurus.

It really was a big bone. Maybe about the length of Tori’s body, it was hard to be sure. They took their time looking at it, walking around it.

“Well?” Jade asked, “How do you feel, now that you’ve seen the big bone.”

Tori nodded slowly, “I feel like I can move on with my life, satisfied that I have experienced a moment in history with my _girlfriend_.”

Jade rolled her eyes, but grinned. “Want to see anything else?”

“Yeah,” Tori said, “Come to the gift shop with me.”

Jade sighed as if she thought this was silly, but she took Tori’s hand and they walked to the gift shop together.

The museum itself had been pretty empty, and the gift shop was even more so. While Tori perused stuffed animals and t-shirts, Jade looked at the framed butterfly specimens, similar to the ones Tori had seen in her room. Apparently, Jade liked dead things, whether or not they had bones.

But before long, Jade was coming over to see what Tori was looking at. Tori was examining a La Brea Tar Pits t-shirt. “You’re really going to buy that?” Jade asked skeptically.

“Sure,” Tori said, “What’s wrong with that?”

“Tori, those t-shirts are for tourists, who have to go back to their boring lives in Idaho or whatever. You _live_ here.”

Tori had quite a few Los Angeles-centric t-shirts, and she’d never thought of it like this. “So? Some people live here and never actually go do anything interesting in the city. And I _have_ been to the tar pits.”

Jade looked like she was trying not to smile and was failing. “You’re such a nerd.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought me here.”

Jade wandered over to the display of rocks and gemstones, and Tori went to check out. She had decided on a t-shirt for herself, and she had also discreetly grabbed something for Jade. When she’d paid, Jade was lingering behind her. “You want to do anything else?” she asked.

Tori shook her head, “That’s okay.” Jade took her hand and they walked back out to her car. Once they were seated inside, Tori said, “I got you something.”

Jade raised an eyebrow, “Is it a coffee mug celebrating the big bone?”

“No, but if I’d seen that, I would have gotten it for you.” She pulled out what she had chosen: a keychain of a scorpion in amber.

Jade took it, turning on the light in her car so she could get a good look at it. “Cool,” she murmured, staring at it.

“Good. I’m glad you like it. I know you like weird, dead stuff.” Tori was pleased with herself for choosing something Jade seemed to appreciate. She was really nailing this girlfriend thing.

“You’re not wrong.” Jade immediately attached the keychain to her car keys before starting the car. “And when I look at it, I’ll think of you. Tori Vega, a dead scorpion, trapped forever.”

“Thaaaaanks?”

But Jade’s teasing sure gave her a different kind of feeling now that they were Slap official and heading home from what was their first date as an actual couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Hurt So Good_ by Carly Rae Jepsen.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode:
> 
> Opposite Date (4.03)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> Tori did what she could to verify the whereabouts of her family as the school day ended. Her dad was, indeed, at work. Her mom was leaving shortly to deliver product. And Tori found the student who was holding auditions and sweetly told them that her sister Trina would be late so her audition slot ought to be further down on the list. The student wasn’t thrilled Trina was auditioning to begin with, but seemed willing to accommodate her “schedule.”
> 
> So when Tori sat in the passenger’s seat of Jade’s car, she turned to her and said, “What are you doing this afternoon?” 
> 
> “Dropping you off at home?” Jade said, raising her eyebrows curiously, “Why, what are _you_ doing?”
> 
> “What if I told you,” Tori started slowly, putting what she hoped was a teasing lilt in her voice, “that I could guarantee that for about the next hour or so,” she began walking her fingers up Jade’s bare arm (she’d worn sleeveless shirts two days in a row after Tori had mentioned she liked touching Jade’s arms), “no one will be home at my house.”
> 
> Jade stared at her, “Well then,” she said quickly, “I’d better get you home, because your girlfriend is coming over.”


	3. But you fit me better than my favorite sweater

“Tell me this is a joke,” demanded Trina. She’d burst right into Tori’s bedroom, startling her awake.

“What! What?” Tori sat up in bed and clutched her chest, trying to ground herself. “What’s happening?”

Trina waved her PearPad in Tori’s face. “ _This_.”

Tori squinted, her glasses still on her nightstand. “Yeah, so what?” She was looking at her own profile on The Slap.

“You and _Jade_?” Trina said with disgust.

“Yeah, Trina, it’s not like you didn’t know.”

“I had _hoped_ it was just a weird phase where you were trying to join her coven or something.”

“Well,” Tori said, finally grabbing her glasses and slipping them on. “It’s not. She’s my girlfriend. Deal with it.”

Trina groaned. “Now she’s going to be here all the time!”

Tori rose from the bed, wondering how long Trina was planning to monopolize her morning. “She already was here all the time.” Even before anything had started up between them, Jade was still a fairly regular fixture at the Vega house whenever Tori had friends over.

“Yeah, but she was bringing Beck with her.”

“Okay, so...if Jade and I are together then…that means…”

“Ew, I don’t want to think about what you two do together.”

“I don’t want you thinking about that either!” cried Tori.

“Then what are you talking about?!”

Tori put her hands on Trina’s shoulders and turned her to point her toward the door. “It means Beck is still definitely single.”

Trina paused. “Okay. _Okay_ , yeah.” She finally wandered out of the room and Tori shut the door, wondering if her parents would let her put a lock on it.

Tori brushed her teeth, then fell back into bed. She had no big plans for the day and wanted to check in with Jade. When she unlocked her phone, there were a ton of notifications from The Slap.

**@ToriVega is in a relationship with @JadeWest**

**Andre: Congrats!**

**Cat: YAY!** 🥰

**Rex: Hot**

**Robbie: Mazel tov**

**Beck:** 👍

**Sinjin: I knew it**

At least it seemed like everyone was happy about it. Tori had wondered what Beck might think, given she’d gone straight from their “opposite date” to being Jade’s girlfriend. But, then that kind of proved the point of the evening, right?

It was just after ten and Tori wondered if Jade was awake yet.

**Good morning! 🤪**

**Morning**

**Coffee yet?**

**Yes. It’s safe to speak to me.**

**Do you want to come over later?**

**Depends**

**Did you ever shower?**

**Very funny**

**I’m about to**

**Okay then yeah**

**But it has to be in the afternoon**

**Have a hair appointment for new color**

**Oh! Cool. What color this time?**

**Not sure. I like to feel it in the moment.**

**Suggestions?**

**Not that I’m going to take them**

Tori considered all the various streaks she’d seen in Jade’s hair over the time she’d known her. Green had been her signature for a while, but occasionally she’d worked with blue (and Tori assumed Jade must do this regularly because she knew her hair wasn’t naturally that dark) and, when she’d still had brown hair, Tori thought she remembered a time with a touch of purple.

**Purple would be cool**

**Noted**

**Again, no promises**

Tori didn’t expect anything different. She told Jade to let her know when she might be over, and got started on her day.

She took a shower, finally. She really should’ve taken one the night before, but she’d been so blissful after her evening with Jade that she’d just wanted to get in bed and bask in the delight. Not in an erotic sense, but in a romantic sense, although, the fact that they were Slap official girlfriends did also mean that things were more...serious. And the implications of that weren’t lost on Tori.

When she finally felt clean, she got dressed in something cute, but casual. She debated whether or not to put in her contacts, but she usually liked to wear her glasses when she was at home, and other than Jade coming over, the rest of her plans were pretty boring. She had laundry to do, and that included changing her sheets, which she worried might smell like the bad clams that haunted her previous evening. The thought that Jade might end up on her bed with her again made that a priority, so she stripped her bed and started a load of sheets first.

Tori worked on homework in between loads of laundry. When she went down to retrieve her dry sheets, her parents were eating lunch together at the table. It was the first time she’d seen them both since texting with Jade.

“Oh, so,” Tori told them, “Jade’s coming over later.”

“Oh, okay,” her mom said, then shot her a smile, “So we heard. Slap official, huh?”

“Uh, yeah,” Tori replied. She hadn’t really intended to bring this up with them, and usually, they weren’t in her business nearly this much.

“Yeah, Trina kind of threw a fit about it,” her dad said.

Tori rolled her eyes, “Yeah, she also kind of _barged into my room_ to do that first thing this morning.” She folded her arms, hoping her parents would pick up on just how messed up it was that Trina did this regularly.

Apparently, they didn’t, because Tori’s mom said, “Well, we’re really happy for you both. So I guess we’ll see Jade this afternoon, huh?”

“I guess so,” Tori said.

“Good, I’m looking forward to talking with her,” Tori’s dad said. He sounded nonchalant about it, but his face was kind of intense.

“Okay…” Tori said uncertainly, “So, I have laundry,” she hurried away before anything else could happen.

Once she was back upstairs and had dumped her armful of warm sheets onto her bed, Tori pulled out her phone. Jade was at her hair appointment, but Tori knew a lot of the time was spent sitting and waiting for the color to set, so she figured Jade might be able to reply.

**So, it sounds like my dad wants to talk to you when you come over??**

**Just a heads up**

**Ooh, an interrogation with Lt. Vega?**

**I can’t wait**

**Omg**

**Seriously I don’t know if you should be worried**

**Relax. I think he likes me**

**Yeah, but they know we’re official now so...who knows?**

**Trina told them**

**She’s been freaking out about it all day**

**How is it any of Trina’s business?**

**I wish I knew**

Tori continued doing laundry and homework. Her last load was just finishing when Jade texted that she was on her way over, so Tori took it upstairs to try to fold it all before Jade arrived.

She hadn’t quite finished when her phone buzzed, alerting her that Jade had parked. She wasn’t about to let Jade face her parents alone, so Tori hurried downstairs so she could answer the door when Jade rang the bell.

-

When Jade pulled up to the Vega house, the garage was open and Tori’s dad was inside, vacuuming out his SUV with a shop-vac. Given what Tori had mentioned about him wanting to have a talk with her, Jade could only assume he was trying to appear casual when he waved her over.

“Jade!” he greeted as she walked into the shade of the garage.

“Lt. Vega.”

“Really, you can call me David.”

“But is that really as cool?”

“Not sure if you’re making fun of me.”

“Kind of a problem I have, in general,” Jade shrugged. She figured she’d be the one to cut right to it. “Tori said you wanted to talk to me?”

“I do. Uh, well.” He rubbed his hands together. “I have to be honest, my big speech is supposed to center around ‘don’t get my daughter pregnant’ but…”

Jade laughed. “I can absolutely guarantee that will not happen.”

“You girls are seventeen, we get it. Just, you know...be responsible.”

“I’ve been on birth-control for, like, four years. So…I think we can handle it.”

“You know what, I’m quickly realizing I’m a little out of my element.”

“I’ll just go inside.”

“You do that.”

“Thanks for the talk!” Jade called back to him as she climbed the stairs from the garage toward the kitchen. When she reached the top of the steps, she could see Tori sitting on the couch that faced the front door. Aw, she was waiting for her.

Quietly, Jade crept into the empty kitchen and crouched down behind the counter. She opened one of the cabinets and began to rattle the dishes inside it. From on the other side of the island, she could hear Tori make a questioning noise, so Jade stopped. Then she did it again.

“What…?” Tori said, softly. Her footsteps could be heard as she came around the other side of the oven to investigate.

Jade popped up with a, “ _Boo_!” Cliche, but effective.

Tori screamed so loud, Jade was pretty sure David would come running up the stairs any second. But he either didn’t hear anything or decided to leave Tori to fend for herself.

“ _JADE_!” Tori’s hand was clutched over her chest, something she often did when she was startled. “That’s not funny!”

Jade, however, was crying with laughter. Finally, when she caught her breath, she said, “It was a lot funny.”

“What’s happening down here?” asked Holly, coming from the upstairs landing.

Tori jabbed a finger at Jade, accusingly, “Jade scared me.”

“I saw an opportunity I had to take,” Jade admitted.

Holly nodded, a little distracted by whatever was happening on her PearPhone. “That’s fun.” Finally, she set the phone on the counter and looked at them. “Do you two have any big plans?”

“Just planning to hang out in my room for a while,” said Tori.

Jade wondered if there would be any new rules now that it was obvious they were an item. Though, Jade was convinced the Vega parents had caught them making out in the car at least a dozen times, so maybe they just didn’t care.

When they were halfway up the stairs, Holly called out, “Just don’t do anything you wouldn’t want someone to walk in on.”

“Oh my god,” groaned Tori, shutting her bedroom door.

“I mean, you do live with Trina. Shouldn’t that just be the general motto of the Vega house?” Jade moved to sit on the bed, but it was covered in folded clothes. “Aw, look who’s having a domestic day,” Jade commented. There was a stack of underwear that looked familiar and Jade picked up the top pair. “Hey, aren’t these the ones Cat was crying into--”

Tori snatched the underwear from Jade, along with the entire stack on the bed. “They’re _regular_ sized,” she said, stuffing them into their drawer.

“I didn’t say they weren’t,” Jade chuckled. She sat down and unlaced her boots, setting them on the floor at the foot of Tori’s bed, then watched as Tori moved around her bedroom, putting things away. Jade sat back against Tori’s pillows and smoothed her hands over her dark jeans before crossing her stretched out legs.

-

“Having fun?” Tori asked as she noticed Jade watching her.

“Eh. Not the most thrilling. Still nice to look at. Even with the glasses.”

“Don’t act like you’re not into it,” Tori said, finally slowing down and sitting next to Jade.

Jade decided to slip Tori’s glasses off her face and slide them right onto her own. “Okay, honestly, on a scale of Robbie to Sinjin, how nerdy is this look?”

“That’s not a very inclusive scale.” Tori reached over to take her glasses back. “By the way,” she said, “I like that you went with purple.” It was a little shorter, too. Tori thought it suited her well.

Jade had taken Tori’s suggestion, or had at least allowed it to help inform her final decision when it came to the colored streaks in her hair. “Yeah, well, I haven’t done purple quite like this before so…”

Tori’s gaze had moved from Jade’s hair to her lips and then they were kissing, softly, no specific urgency to it, just a comfortable connection between them. But the kisses lingered and, as Jade’s fingers trailed over Tori’s arms and Tori’s hand slipped behind Jade’s neck, things began to pick up.

They were kissing more eagerly now. When their tongues met, Tori heard that specific little throaty sound Jade made when she was really enjoying what was happening, and grinned into the kiss. She let her hand trail down Jade’s shoulder, down her arm, and then slipped around her body, inviting Jade closer.

Jade complied with enthusiasm, her own hand pressing against Tori’s lower back, simultaneously encouraging and steadying. They were shifting closer on the bed, leaning into each other, kisses becoming wilder. Sure, it wasn’t anything Tori wanted anyone walking in on, but she also wasn’t concerned enough about it to stop.

She also wondered how far they could push this particular limit, and maybe it was because this was really their first relaxed, intimate moment together as an official couple, but Tori kind of wanted to find out.

She leaned into Jade, letting her fingers find the hem of her shirt to run along the skin of her lower back. She kissed her way down Jade’s neck, feeling the way Jade’s fingers tightened at her hip, bunching the fabric of her shirt, and then Jade’s hand was slipping underneath, palm running over Tori’s stomach and side, then curving to her lower back once again.

There was gentle pressure from Jade once they started kissing again, and Tori took the cue to sink down onto the bed, keeping her hands on Jade so that she couldn’t go far. Jade barely paused the kisses as they resettled and her urgent lips were back on Tori’s. She paused again to sweep her hair back and took the opportunity to press kisses and trail her mouth all over Tori’s neck and upper chest, hand finding her breast. Tori squirmed, trying not to whimper too loudly, but everything that was happening was making her feel _really_ good, and like she wanted more.

Evidently, Jade was thinking something similar, because when Tori guided her back up for a kiss, Jade’s body moved, leg shifting to straddle one of Tori’s. Tori almost missed it actually happening, might’ve missed it entirely if it weren’t for the palpable hesitation in Jade’s body, expressed even in the slowing of her kisses. Jade pulled away, pushing her hair back again, and Tori grasped that they were positioned very similarly to how they had been in Jade’s room, weeks ago, back when they’d established boundaries they wouldn’t cross until they were “serious.”

It had been Jade who had stopped them then, mostly because Tori had blundered them into the situation with her own inexperience, but it was Jade who was inviting a repeat of it now, and Tori was certain that this was something she absolutely wanted.

She coaxed Jade back down with her hands and arms, including one on Jade’s belt, just above the seat of her pants, and Jade settled into place, her chest against Tori’s, their hips aligned, their legs entangled. Tori sighed against Jade’s neck, then blew a few more times for good measure to get her hair out of her mouth, which made Jade squirm a little bit and chuckle, but that faded to a quiet moan as Tori ran her tongue along Jade’s throat.

Soon after, Jade turned, bringing them both onto their sides, inviting their bodies to connect with one of Tori’s legs sliding between her own, the other draping itself over her hips. They kissed like that for a long time, long enough for Tori to entirely forget the edict that they should be careful what someone might walk in on. But even so, though it was a new step for them, it wasn’t anything particularly risque. Despite the new contact at the lower half of their bodies, it wasn’t accompanied by motion, just pleasant, satisfying presence and awareness of the way their bodies connected. Tori loved how it felt to be able to curl her legs around Jade’s, to drape one over her hip. For that alone, Tori was experiencing by far their most intimate kisses, and it made her whole body feel alive in a new way that she imagined she’d end up exploring later, alone in her bed at night.

-

They did eventually stop kissing. It was certainly hard to want to, but Jade knew there was a limit to how much kissing they could do without it progressing into something Tori definitely didn’t want her parents (or _Trina_ ) to walk in on. And they’d already really jutted right up to that line. Straddled it, really.

So she eventually slowed the kisses, bringing them back down to a more stable baseline, and brought her head down onto Tori’s shoulder. Tori wrapped her arms around her, sighing contentedly, as they snuggled.

Jade actually really loved cuddling. It was something Tori seemed to have picked up on, which was good, because Jade didn’t think it was a sentence she was ever going to say aloud. But she nuzzled against Tori’s neck, feeling Tori’s fingers running through her hair, their legs still entangled and their arms wrapped around each other.

Tori’s hand was now running down the skin of Jade’s arm. She wasn’t even fondling the tattoo, just touching over all of the exposed skin. As Jade lifted her head slightly to look, Tori kissed the top of her head, “I just really like touching your arms,” she told her shyly.

Okay. Noted.

And, because even Tori needed some good luck on occasion, this was when Trina decided to barge in, rather than five minutes before.

“Oh my god. _Ew_!” Trina shrieked as she saw them.

Jade didn’t move except to raise one arm to flip Trina off. Tori barely lifted her head to shout, “Trina! Seriously! You need to stay out of my room! This is the second time today!”

“ _You_ need to respect the rules of the house!” Trina hollered, “Do Mom and Dad know you brought your _girlfriend_ up here?!”

“Yes!” Tori yelled back.

Trina’s mouth dropped, “ _What_? I’m not allowed to bring any boyfriends upstairs! This is a load of chiz! _Mom_!”

“What boyfriends?” Jade scoffed. “And what are you going to tell her, that we were lying here, _fully clothed, doing nothing_?”

Trina stormed out of Tori’s bedroom without any kind of response to Jade. From down the hall, Jade could hear the murmurs of a conversation but whatever Holly said wasn’t what Trina wanted, because she angrily stomped back toward her bedroom and slammed the door.

Jade sat up. “Where’s your PearBook?”

Tori pointed toward the desk. “Charging. Should be almost done, though.” As Jade retrieved the laptop, Tori propped herself up on her elbow. “Why?”

“So I can show you something,” Jade said, cryptically.

“Oookay,” Tori said, taking the computer and pulling up the web browser. “Where? On SplashFace?”

“Hold on,” Jade took over the keyboard, opened a private window and logged into her own SplashFace page. She pulled up her videos and clicked on one that was still marked with a padlock icon.

“Wait, another one of your movies?” Tori asked with a hopeful sincerity that washed Jade’s entire body in a wave of appreciative warmth.

“Yep.” Jade pressed play and expanded the video to fullscreen while Tori sat up and adjusted her glasses. She’d seen every movie she’d made probably at least fifty times when you considered the entirety of the shooting to editing process, so her interest was less on the screen and more on Tori’s reactions. This piece was just barely ten minutes and it was still weird, but more comedic than a lot of her other work. She hadn’t done anything with it beyond completing the final cut.

Tori laughed in the right places and gasped at the big reveal of the murderous barista. The validation Jade felt, just from Tori’s undivided attention to the screen, left her feeling tingly, and Tori’s apparent enjoyment of the story itself only exaggerated the sensation.

The film ended and Jade quickly closed out the browser window.

“Can’t we watch more?” Tori asked.

Jade realized she probably could subject Tori to an entire Jade West Film Festival, but she didn’t want to burn her out right away. “I’m best in small portions, I think.”

Tori crossed her arms. “I strongly disagree.”

“Well, hey. Something we’re good at. Arguing.” Jade slid the computer back over to Tori. “We could watch something else together, though.”

“Like what?”

“Whatever. I picked last time.”

Tori gasped in feigned shock. “Wait, we don’t _always_ have to watch horror films?”

“We might if you keep doing things like that.”

While Tori browsed around for a movie to watch, Jade pulled Tori’s glasses off to put them back on her own face, again. “I kind of need those,” Tori said, squinting at her screen.

“You’re doing fine.” Jade snapped a selfie of herself in the glasses, then leaned closer to Tori to get them both in the shot. “Smile.” The prescription didn’t seem that strong, though when Jade did finally take the glasses off, she did notice she was a little dizzy.

Tori took her glasses back and fully resumed her search, now that she could see. “Oh! Here, this is a good one. It’s from the 80s. My dad showed it to us when we were younger.”

Jade hummed in agreement, not really caring what they watched as long as Tori kept doing that thing where she ran her fingers over her arms and snuggled against her. “What’s it called?”

“ _One Crazy Summer_ ,” Tori said.

Jade hadn’t heard of it, but when the opening credits started, a lot of the actors were names she knew and the director’s name was familiar. She searched it on her PearPhone to see that he’d directed a movie she had seen and liked, _Better Off Dead_. Score another point for Lt. Tori’s Dad.

They made themselves comfortable, first sitting up, back against the pillows. But as Jade settled into being more comfortable, she rested her head on Tori’s shoulder with Tori’s arm curled around her. The movie was weird but funny, the same kind of humor as the one she’d seen before. About thirty minutes into it, Tori’s dad walked by the open door (which Trina had so rudely just left open after her tantrum). It was an obvious check-in, but he tried to be casual about it.

“What’re you girls up to?” Before Tori answered, he heard the dialogue coming from the computer. “Oh hey! _One Crazy Summer_!” He flashed a big goofy dad-version of the smile Tori offered up when she was being an excited nerd about something.

“Jade’s never seen it,” Tori explained.

“Ah, then I won’t keep you,” he said, leaving them alone.

The Vegas were nosy as hell, but it was kind of nice being looked after. As long as they weren’t being interrupted. Jade slid her hand over Tori’s stomach, just resting it there until Tori slipped her own hand over it.

For as much exploring there was to do within their physical relationship, Jade reveled in these moments, the quiet ones where the simplest touch could say more than any words.

-

The next day was Monday, the beginning of her first official school week as Jade’s Slap official girlfriend. She didn’t entirely know what to expect. But it turned out everything felt pretty natural, an extension of what they’d already started doing when they began dating. Hollywood Arts had a pretty clear policy about the limits of PDA on campus, which meant no one was really supposed to be locking lips in the halls or classrooms. That didn’t keep them from stealing a few kisses at Tori’s locker that morning, shielded by the open locker door. They held hands more, Jade quickly picked up the habit of slipping an arm around Tori as they walked and Tori found herself doing the same. She liked the closeness of it, feeling the warmth of Jade next to her whenever possible.

Tori also wanted to be self-aware enough to not be That Couple, the ones who are so into each other that everyone else is annoyed by them. At least she and Jade already knew each other, so she hoped they were just coming off as two people who were experiencing a new level in their relationship instead of being a snoodly pain-in-the-butt to their friends.

During lunch, while they were being a bit handsy under the table, Jade’s fingers constantly tracing over Tori’s knee, Tori was giving (most of) her full attention to the video Andre wanted to show her while Cat asked Jade for opinions on monologue ideas. All of this, of course, while Jade picked at Tori’s lunch plate.

That day, Andre also asked them to be a part of a project he, Robbie and Beck were planning, a fundraiser to install another boy’s bathroom at Hollywood Arts, since the gender ratio was uneven. There weren’t a lot of details yet, just that it was happening at Karaoke Dokie that weekend, so when Jade drove Tori home that afternoon, they were both conscious of the fact that they would likely be rehearsing a lot later in the week. So aside from some driveway time, with a lot of eager kisses and wandering hands, they both had to reluctantly admit that they needed to get ahead of their school work that evening.

Tuesday brought more of the same, with Jade demanding that Robbie open his locker and not look at them so she and Tori could steal a few good morning kisses in relative privacy at Jade’s locker, and walking through the halls holding hands or with their arms around each other. Tori wondered if there might be any additional scrutiny from some of the students, but overall, it seemed that most people either weren’t surprised or didn’t care. That was fine with her; what they were doing was for them, not for anyone else.

But as the day continued, Tori began to realize that the afternoon might present a rare opportunity. Andre was still working on lyrics for the song they were supposed to sing with him at the fundraiser that weekend, so they weren’t going to rehearse yet. Tori’s mom had been baking a lot of edibles the night before, and would be distributing them to various dispensaries that afternoon, and Tori’s dad was working an evening shift. And then Trina approached her in the hall to tell her that “her girlfriend” (accompanied by an eye roll) better be giving her a ride home because Trina was staying late at school to audition for something or other.

Tori did what she could to verify the whereabouts of her family as the school day ended. Her dad was, indeed, at work. Her mom was leaving shortly to deliver product. And Tori found the student who was holding auditions and sweetly told them that her sister Trina would be late so her audition slot ought to be further down on the list. The student wasn’t thrilled Trina was auditioning to begin with, but seemed willing to accommodate her “schedule.”

So when Tori sat in the passenger’s seat of Jade’s car, she turned to her and said, “What are you doing this afternoon?”

“Dropping you off at home?” Jade said, raising her eyebrows curiously, “Why, what are _you_ doing?”

“What if I told you,” Tori started slowly, putting what she hoped was a teasing lilt in her voice, “that I could guarantee that for about the next hour or so,” she began walking her fingers up Jade’s bare arm (she’d worn sleeveless shirts two days in a row after Tori had mentioned she liked touching Jade’s arms), “no one will be home at my house.”

Jade stared at her, “Well then,” she said quickly, “I’d better get you home, because your girlfriend is coming over.”

-

Of course, traffic was a stupid nightmare that afternoon. Not that it was ever great at that time of day, but Jade felt like it was crawling way more so than usual, and somehow managed to barely miss the green at every stoplight.

“Ugh!” she groaned as they crawled along. She laid on the horn for a moment, even though she was fully aware that it wouldn’t help anything, because people couldn’t exactly move much faster. “Why is this taking so long?”

“I know,” Tori was sitting forward in her seat, her whole body clearly displaying her anxiety at the situation. “We still have plenty of time, though,” she assured Jade.

To Jade, it still felt like every moment alone together that they needed was slipping away.

When she pulled into Tori’s driveway, a glance at the clock showed that it was practically the same time they always arrived, though Jade was positive this ride home had taken twice as long. Tori leaned over to kiss her quickly, since that was practically a requirement every time Jade put her car in park, but neither of them lingered, and were soon hurrying up the driveway together.

Once inside, Tori shouted a greeting, and peeked down into the garage to verify that no one was home, and then the two of them were going upstairs to Tori’s room together.

The first thing Tori did was go into the bathroom and lock the door to Trina’s room.

“I thought you said we have an hour,” Jade said, watching her.

“Well, we should, but I’m not taking any chances,” Tori said, with the sort of intensity her voice usually only got when she was about to freak out about something weird.

“All right,” Jade said, “then hold on,” she grabbed Tori’s desk chair to try to wedge it under the bedroom door handle. It wasn’t really the right height to actually prevent the door from opening, but it would at least provide some sort of a barrier if someone (Trina) tried to barge in. Shrugging, Jade sat down on it and started unlacing her boots. Tori sat at the foot of her bed to remove her own boots.

By the time Jade had hers unlaced and set aside, Tori was standing in front of her. She reached for Jade’s hands to draw her up from the chair, pulling her close and kissing her.

They hadn’t really kissed that intensely standing up like this since the bathroom at Beck’s party, when Tori had ripped off her mustache and grabbed Jade to kiss her. This started out marginally gentler, with Tori drawing Jade to her feet and into her arms, but it didn’t stay that way long. Even though Jade knew intellectually that they had plenty of time, her body didn’t necessarily agree. Maybe it was because they were in Tori’s room, where interruptions were common, or maybe it was residual frustration from the drive home, but as Tori’s kisses grew more fervent, Jade was already aching to follow her lead.

Before long, Tori was bearing them along, guiding Jade toward the bed, their mouths still connected. Jade felt them turn, felt the back of her knees hit Tori’s bed, and then felt Tori’s hands on her shoulders.

It was a gentle push, but Jade was still a little startled to end up on her back across Tori’s bed. Startled, and, okay, _kind of_ turned on, especially when it was immediately followed by Tori crawling onto her body, sweeping back her hair as she arranged herself on top of Jade, their legs entangling, mouths connecting, one of Tori’s hands on Jade’s breast.

And, tentatively at first, she felt movement. Tori’s hips, rocking gently against Jade’s.

Jade’s mind swam. Having Tori on top of her was always...a lot. There were always a lot of sensations, from the scent and sight of her hair cascading over them, the feel of her body pressed against Jade’s, the taste of her lips (and a hint of vanilla lip balm), the sounds of her breath. Most of that happened no matter who was on top, but there was something additionally stimulating about this, and on top of it--no pun intended--was the fact that Tori was introducing movement to their lower bodies as their legs entangled.

It was really intense, but Jade was also pretty familiar with how her body worked, sexually. With their legs mostly outstretched, there wasn’t really enough of the direct friction that Jade would need to actually...get anywhere. That didn’t stop it from feeling supremely arousing.

So Jade responded to Tori’s movements with her own, lifting her hips in answer, hearing Tori gasp at the contact. Jade’s hand slipped lower, grabbing at Tori’s belt to communicate her eagerness, not quite grabbing her ass (though she was certainly thinking about it).

However, having her lower legs dangling over the side of Tori’s bed wasn’t the most comfortable, so before long, Jade started pulling at Tori’s shoulder, coaxing her to move. They straightened out, lying on Tori’s bed with Jade’s head on her pillows, barely having to pause their kisses to readjust. Tori slid her hand under Jade’s shoulder blade, as if she could somehow draw her closer than they already were, burying her face in Jade’s neck as her mouth left frantic kisses, her other arm holding herself up, giving her some leverage as her hips worked against Jade’s.

It was a little clumsy, the way they were grinding together. They were each on a separate rhythm, trying to find symmetry, but too wild and distracted with their kisses, with Jade’s hand slipping her way up Tori’s shirt to her bra, for them to really find a pattern with their hips that worked in tandem. But that was okay; Jade, at least, wasn’t necessarily chasing any kind of goal, she was just enjoying how amazing it felt to have their whole bodies pressed together and move together.

Tori broke the kiss to moan softly as Jade’s fingers moved over her breast, dipping beneath the top of the fabric to trace along the flesh there. She gazed down at Jade with hazy eyes, swept her hair back out of her face again, and then leaned back down, kissing Jade with unrestrained desire, and Jade felt her tongue and even some light teeth against her lower lip, which made her belly clench with need. Tori’s hand was under Jade’s shirt now, as Jade’s were running over Tori’s back, drawing her tank top up to access more skin.

Jade’s shirt was beginning to bunch up from the movement, leaving her midriff exposed and allowing the skin of Tori’s soft and warm stomach to connect with her own. Her fingers pressed into Tori’s back, somehow trying to pull them even closer together. Jade’s leg, the one not between Tori’s, slid up, knee bent, foot against the mattress, to try and give herself a little leverage. Tori had begun kissing Jade’s neck and it seemed like she wanted more access than the sleeveless t-shirt was giving her as she pushed the shirt up further from the bottom until it was all the way up above Jade’s breasts. It wasn’t a move that gained any access to the neck area, but it definitely presented access to her cleavage.

Tori glanced down, seeming a little surprised at just what she was looking at. “I...is this okay?” she asked, catching Jade’s eyes. Tori looked wild. Sexy and wild.

“Tread _very_ carefully, but...yeah,” Jade nodded. She was beginning to realize that, while she’d earlier assumed that whatever they were doing wouldn’t be enough to get off, she might have to reconsider.

Heeding Jade’s warning, Tori left light kisses across her skin, following the soft curves of her breasts above the top edge of the black and red bra. Her fingertips also traced the same path, just barely dipping under the fabric, but not seeking anything further. Jade tugged at Tori’s top, sliding it up even a little higher, wanting more of the skin-on-skin sensation.

There was a moment where things clicked, where Tori’s body angled just enough that they found each other in the movement, Jade’s hips pressing up with Tori’s pushing back down. They were kissing again, hungrily, in search of something, but then it slipped away just as quickly as it had appeared. Jade’s arm tightened around Tori, steadying her. Tori, reading the cue, relaxed and dropped her forehead down against Jade’s shoulder. Her breath in Jade’s ear sounded just as rapid as her own heartbeat. They didn’t necessarily have to stop. Or, well, what time was it? And, what was that buzzing sound?

“Tori?” Jade’s voice was pure gravel.

“Hmm?” Tori hummed in her ear.

“Is that your phone?”

Tori sat up, looking dazed, a little mussed, and adorable in a way that would’ve made past-Jade roll her eyes at herself for liking what she was seeing.

“Chiz, yeah.” She picked it up. “Uh, my mom texted that she’s at the store getting dinner…” Tori half-narrated the text as she read it and responded, still draped over Jade.

“Which leaves us how much time?” Jade asked.

“About fifteen minutes?”

“Okay, then,” Jade plucked the phone from Tori’s hand and set it aside. She flipped them over and stretched out along Tori’s body.

Immediately, they were kissing again. Jade took a moment to shift and settle herself into position on Tori’s body, while Tori’s hands were already seeking skin beneath Jade’s shirt. Jade wanted to feel the way Tori’s skin felt on hers again, and now, on top, Jade had a little more control over how quickly things could escalate. Not that she really _wanted_ to slow down, if she listened to the way every nerve ending pleaded with her, but she also didn’t want to progress too quickly into territory that neither of them were ready for. They’d only been official for a few days. They still had plenty of things to explore together and plenty of time to do it.

But for now, Jade was thinking about what Tori had explored earlier on her, and was eager to do the same herself. Even Tori’s gentle kisses on her breasts had felt entirely new in a way that Jade hadn’t been prepared for, and she wanted to know what it was like.

It was hard to accomplish, however, with Tori’s hand outside her shirt and on her breast. Jade thrust her hips gently, seeking erratic contact, her hand pushing at Tori’s shirt, but finally, she pulled her mouth away enough to murmur, “Tori.”

“Yeah?” Tori breathed, pressing a kiss to her jaw.

She was trying to concentrate on getting under Tori’s shirt, and she was having trouble verbalizing it in the moment, her brain circuits feeling overwhelmed by sensation. So instead, she grabbed Tori’s hand from her breast and pressed it down on the pillow next to her head, pinning it in place.

There was a gasp from Tori, not of shock, but of intrigue. Jade licked her lips, struggling to speak, “Sorry, is this…” she didn’t know what to say. Too aggressive? Too...risky?

Tori shook her head, quickly, “No, it’s...it’s good.” She, too, seemed to be groping for words, and her chest was heaving with excited breaths, her heated gaze staring up at Jade with longing.

Jade leaned a little more on the hand holding Tori’s in place, shifting her legs to adjust her weight a little, her other hand moving to push up Tori’s shirt. “Is it okay if I lift this?” she asked.

Tori nodded vigorously, and Jade ended up sitting up, pushing her hair back and away from her face and using both hands to pull Tori’s tank top up and over her bra. Her pink bra. Of course. The hand Jade had previously pinned was running along her upper arm, distracting but welcome.

Jade gently took both of Tori’s hands and guided them on either side of her head, holding them there for a moment as she leaned over Tori. “I need you to stay right here for a minute,” she told her, bending to catch her lips briefly, “I’m trying to concentrate and you’re being _very distracting_.”

“Okay,” Tori said breathlessly, smirking up at her. Jade released her hands and settled back, eyes falling to take in all the skin of Tori’s torso before she bent her face over all the newly-exposed flesh before her. Keeping Tori subdued was both to keep Jade from getting too wild herself, and to let Jade take her time with mapping her skin with her kisses. She let one hand trail fingers along the lower edge of Tori’s bra, grazing the soft curves there, as her mouth kissed all along Tori’s chest and the tops of her breasts.

Jade took her time. Tori’s skin felt hot under her mouth, the tops of her breasts soft and pliant in a way that made Jade want to be gentle. Tori’s hands stayed next to her head at first, though glances at them showed Jade that she was curling her fingers, as if holding herself back consciously. Just as Jade was beginning to miss the distracting touches, she noticed Tori’s hands in her hair, gently tugging in ways that made pleasure tingle down Jade’s spine. She realized she couldn’t continue this much longer, as the way Tori’s lower body was squirming and the way she was exhaling audible whimpers made Jade aware of just how intense this was getting for Tori. She lifted her head and stretched out along her body again, wrapping an arm under her shoulders and kissing her. Tori responded vigorously, her hands running along Jade’s back, holding her close, and resuming the rhythm of her hips as Jade’s aligned with hers. Jade let herself get swept up in it again--the feeling of Tori’s skin against hers as her top rode up with Tori’s hands, the way their hips found synchrony again, the feel of Tori’s lips and tongue and teeth and how Jade felt like she was swallowing her moans, her hair in her face, certainly tickling Tori’s, but neither of them seemed to have the will to brush it away.

And abruptly, there was the sound of a low rumble of the garage door opening echoing through the house, and in a flash, Tori’s hands were on Jade’s shoulders, pushing her onto the other half of the bed. The momentum carried Jade until she actually rolled off, half onto the floor, hanging on to the bed with her arms. “ _Tori_!”

“I’m sorry!” Tori cried out, standing and straightening her clothes and brushing back her hair. Her head swiveled around the room in a panic, and she ran to yank her computer chair from in front of the door and flung the door open, placing the chair back in front of her desk. She grabbed a tissue from her desk and started wiping at the lipstick around her mouth.

Jade stood up, readjusting her clothes with more precision and less alarm. She walked over to Tori and gave her a quick, reassuring kiss on the forehead, then went into the bathroom to check her makeup.

-

Tori couldn’t consciously express why she had freaked out at the sound of the garage door until Jade was in the bathroom. As she scattered homework papers across her bed and set herself up with her PearBook, trying to look nonchalant, she realized fully that it was because she was incredibly aroused. Her mom’s edict was lodged firmly in her brain, and even if she and Jade were still fully clothed, how worked up she was meant that she _definitely_ didn’t want anyone walking in on them. She panicked because she was aroused, more than for any practical reason.

Loud steps sounded through the house and up the stairs, and Trina burst into her doorway, looking around, wild-eyed.

“I know Jade is here,” she spoke intensely, “I saw her car. What did you do, shove her under the bed?” She crouched slightly, as if she might actually try to look.

Tori tried to look disgusted. It wasn’t hard. “She’s in the bathroom. What is your problem?”

“My _problem_ is that you keep sneaking your _girlfriend_ into your room!”

“We’re doing _homework_ ,” Tori lied emphatically, gesturing at everything surrounding her on the bed. “And you need to stay out of my room!” she added, for what felt like the millionth time.

Trina huffed and stormed to her room. Moments later, Tori could hear pounding on the bathroom door from Trina’s room. “Occupied,” Jade spoke loudly in response. Jade emerged from the bathroom soon after, and Tori could hear Trina still pounding on the door. Jade shrugged and closed the bathroom door.

There was actually some homework they could work on, so Jade joined her on the bed, and they muddled their way through some homework for a bit, poking each other and occasionally stealing kisses, but generally staying on task. Trina stormed through to get to the bathroom at one point, and Tori yelled at her _again_ to stay out of her room. Downstairs, she heard her mom come home.

Eventually, her mom called them down for dinner. She looked completely unsurprised to see Jade there.

“Hi, Jade,” Holly greeted casually, “Are you staying for dinner?”

“Eww!” Trina griped, “You’re inviting her?”

Tori’s mom gave Trina a hard look, “You know, Trina, it’s pretty disrespectful that this is always your reaction to seeing them together.”

Trina scoffed and rolled her eyes, “It’s not because they’re lesbians or bi or pan or whatever is going on with you, I literally don’t care about that,” she gestured at Tori, “It’s because Jade is _evil_.”

“Careful, Trina,” Jade drawled, “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Tori saw her mom stifling laughter as Trina made indignant sounds.

But then Jade turned to Tori’s mom and said, “Thank you for the invitation, but I can’t stay. My mom’s expecting me for dinner.”

“Well, you’re welcome another time,” Holly replied.

“I’ll walk Jade out,” Tori said firmly.

Trina groaned, but at least avoided disgusted sounds for once.

Tori stepped outside onto the patio with Jade, closing the door behind them. She gave Jade a lingering kiss, just enough for the heat of the memory of their afternoon together to resurface, before pulling away. “See you tomorrow.”

Once Jade was on her way home, Tori joined her mother and sister at the kitchen table. As everyone served themselves, Holly excitedly talked about running into Hammond Decker from _Celebrities Underwater_ at one of the dispensaries that stocked her product. It sounded like it was a thrilling experience for her mom, but Tori couldn’t shake what Trina had said about being “lesbians or bi or pan or whatever,” realizing she had no idea where she fell on that spectrum. None of the guys she’d dated had ever made her feel the way Jade did. But she also hadn’t dated in...a while. Not seriously. So maybe it was just different because she was a little older? But then...okay, what about Jade’s boobs? Like, Tori couldn’t think of any physical part of any guy that would ever be as enticing to her as...uh...she was pretty sure she’d just made herself blush, so she kept her head down as she ate. Still, okay, but she also knew that Jade, just in general, was someone with really great, above average breasts. So, maybe it was an unfair comparison point.

“Tori, is everything okay?” Holly asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Just...thinking about homework.”

Trina scoffed. “Yeah, the _homework_ you were doing with Jade earlier?”

“We were studying theatre history!” Tori argued. They really had been. Eventually. She was tired of whatever crap her sister was trying to pull. “And Trina keeps just barging into my room.”

“I do not!” Trina protested.

Tori rolled her eyes. “Literally at least once a day. Once an _hour_ if Jade’s over.”

“Girls.”

Trina’s hand slapped against the table. “That’s because I deserve to know if she’s plotting against me.”

“Oh please,” laughed Tori, “you’re not that important.”

“ _Girls_.” Holly’s tone was full of warning. When the girls in question settled, she said, “Trina, you really need to respect your sister’s privacy.” Tori shot a haughty look across the table to her sister, but Holly also saw it. “Tori, don’t push it.”

Dinner wrapped shortly after and both Vega girls retreated to their rooms. At least it seemed like Trina might leave her alone for now, given that she’d muttered something about not wanting to see Tori’s “stupid face” for the rest of the night. Tori finished her homework while trading casual texts with Jade.

**Ugh finally finished that essay**

**I thought it would never end**

**Just wrapped up my history homework**

**All to do it again tomorrow**

**Wow**

**Our exciting lives**

**Things were pretty exciting earlier**

The moment Tori hit “Send” on the message, she felt a heat in her face, both at the memory of them on her bed and the idea of bringing it back up in conversation.

**They were**

**Can’t stop thinking about it tbh**

Three dots appeared on Jade’s side, then disappeared, then reappeared.

**Which part?**

Tori was reclined back on her bed, alone in her room, with both doors closed, but she still dipped her head, shyly, thinking about her answer.

**Being so close to you**

She half-expected to get called out for such a generic-seeming answer because even she thought it seemed like a cop-out.

**  
Yeah, me too**

**Things kind of got really intense for a minute**

**Like how?**

**Like I want to do that again soon**

Tori was already trying to figure out when she’d have more time alone in the house for this exact purpose.

**I know the feeling**

Later that night, as Tori lay in bed, unable to sleep, “the feeling” was as acute as ever. The house was silent, making the sound of her heartbeat feel loud in her ears. It wasn’t racing, just beating strong, deliberately, because her body was still very much awake, because Tori was still very much aroused.

It was because her thoughts had been lingering on Jade all evening--during dinner, as she did her homework, and especially as she got in bed, where she swore she could detect the lingering scent of Jade’s hair on her pillows. She breathed it in, and let her memory take her back to the events of the afternoon, to the feel of Jade’s body under hers, the naked desire in her expression as she warned Tori to tread carefully in her exploration of her breasts, and, omg, her breasts. Tori had really had to reign herself in, when Jade’s shirt was hiked up, because all she wanted to do was touch them, to find out what kind of reactions Jade would have to all sorts of stimulation, to know what it would feel like to bury her face in them. But being gentle hadn’t been any less stimulating. And when Jade got on top, and made her stay still, there was something indescribable there, something new and different, and warring with wanting to do as Jade asked while also wanting desperately to touch her had awakened something powerful in Tori, frustrated desire that had to be expressed physically, but the build-up had been worth it.

Tori let her hand travel down her stomach, into her panties, and _okay_ , yes, she was definitely aroused. Maybe it wasn’t quite with the urgency of the night of her dream, when it had taken practically nothing to push her over the edge, but this had been smoldering all evening.

Tori lay back against her pillows, letting her fingers move between her legs, searching for what felt best. It definitely felt good, but it wasn’t nearly even the level of intensity of earlier that day, when she was on top of Jade and they were moving together in a way that felt rhythmic and _right_.

Tori let her mind drift back to that moment, and decided that part of what had really been making her so excited was the physicality of the experience, and that couldn’t be replicated on her back with just her hand moving. No, if she couldn’t have Jade with her in her bed, the least she could do was recreate her own half of the experience.

She grabbed a pillow, and twisted so that it was under her, but even though she was approximating her position earlier in the day, it wasn’t quite right, it wasn’t really providing stimulation. So Tori settled on her side, gripping the pillow with her thighs, arms wrapped tight around it. She let one hand hold the pillow in place, between her legs as she thrust her hips, and her hand through the pillow provided just enough firmness for her to really feel like she was grinding against something. She let her mind drift back to Jade, how it felt to move against her, kissing furiously, skin touching skin, and it wasn’t long before the clenching of her thighs and the grinding of her pelvis brought her relief, and she muffled her quiet moan in the top of the pillow as the waves of pleasure slowly ebbed away.

She rolled onto her back, feeling too hot under her covers, and kicked them off to cool down as she caught her breath. _That_ had been...well, certainly more intense than the first orgasm that had crept up on her when she was half asleep. And gone was the hesitation, that maybe she shouldn’t be thinking about Jade this way. She was working with memory of what had already occurred, not trying to fantasize about things that hadn’t. Besides, knowing Jade sometimes did this, too, had made her feel a lot less weird about it.

She wondered, with a shiver, if Jade had done this tonight, too.

Tori was starting to feel chilly, so she covered back up, and this time, she fell asleep easily.

Wednesday was a lot like Monday and Tuesday, but when Jade dropped Tori off, they were back to just kissing in the car before Jade had to leave. For as much as Tori wanted them to spend every afternoon together, they still had homework and school projects to manage. Also, she wanted to respect Jade’s creative process, if she ever needed some time to herself. So, this afternoon, she was alone in her room, reading the assigned chapters in her World Cultures textbook. It didn’t take long before she closed the book and set it aside. She’d gotten the gist of things and Mrs. Brannigan wasn’t the type to subject them to any pop quizzes.

Tori flipped open her PearBook and clicked around the usual haunts, not seeing anything that exciting on The Slap or SplashFace. She looked at her own profile, where it said she was “in a relationship with @JadeWest,” still considering what had come up the day before. Was she gay or bi or what? Again, the boys she’d dated in the past were...boring compared to Jade. But wouldn’t anyone be? Jade was someone she’d known for a while, they knew each other’s quirks because they’d hung out so much. But also, Jade was an incredible kisser and...really, Tori had to stop thinking about her boobs so much. Okay, maybe that was a clue. Did Tori think of anyone else that way? She did have Katy Perry plastered all over the inside of her locker because she thought she was “so pretty” and “so talented” and loved her music. She’d even taped up the phrase “I Kissed a Girl” in her locker, because it had been part of the same magazine spread she’d used to decorate the rest. And, yeah, she liked the song. And yeah, she’d kissed a girl...and liked it (also... _kinda weird_ how the lyrics echoed her own experience with Jade, a little bit).

Curious, she typed “how do you know you’re gay” in the search bar. Most of the results revolved around how the teen years could be a confusing time and that it’s natural to be curious about attraction to different genders. Tori wasn’t particularly confused about her attraction to Jade. That part made a lot of sense. Jade was, well, hot. She was passionate and talented and made Tori laugh. When her arm slid around Tori in the halls at school, it made her feel protected. She liked Jade. _A lot_.

Really, the confusion was coming from the past experience with her ex-boyfriends. The more she thought about it, the more she could see where maybe...she was just doing what made sense at the time. But how was she supposed to really know?

Did she need to have sex to find out? Oh god, what would that even look like with Jade? They’d been much closer to something that previous afternoon, though Tori knew there was still plenty of groud to cover before something as definitive as...sex. But again, what did two women even really actually do together? She had a pretty good idea of what things might look like, but what classified as sex and what was just...everything else?

She dropped “how do lesbians have sex” into the search bar.

Even just the description from the Planned Parenthood website was enough to make her consider closing the browser window and scrubbing her history. Seeing the phrase, “clitoral, anal, or vaginal stimulation” made her want to crawl under her bed. But she pressed on and scrolled further down to another article that seemed like it might be a little less clinical. It was, for the first couple of paragraphs, but then it began to lay out a similar list that Tori quickly scanned, trying to make sense of all of it. And then she spotted a specific word. “Scissoring.”

Okay, what?

She was already doing this, so she typed “lesbian scissoring” into the search.

There were a lot of links to videos. She knew she probably shouldn’t click any of them, but now she was incredibly curious. What were the odds that Jade’s favorite movie of all time was also this thing that was listed under lesbian sex?

She glanced up at her bedroom door, which was closed, and over at her bathroom door, which was ajar, but mostly pulled shut. It wasn’t like anyone could see her. Tori clicked on one of the links that said “Scissoring Compilation” since it seemed like it might be the most direct in giving her the information she wanted. It opened up to SpankSpace, with a prompt asking if she was over eighteen. Whatever, she was on a mission. Yes. _Click_.

The video opened and she saw two nude women aggressively grinding on each other, though somehow she could still see _everything_. She also hadn’t accounted for the volume of the video, which was mostly just moans. Quickly, she tapped the volume button, but the rest of the video was still loading and her cursor turned into a spinning rainbow pear while the beginning of the video continued to play.

“What are you watching?!” came Trina’s voice from the bathroom. The door was now wide open and her sister was staring at her.

“Nothing!” Tori exclaimed, slamming the laptop closed, which at least silenced the computer.

“ _Ew, TORI_! Were you watching _porn_?”

“I wasn’t watching anything! And you’re supposed to be leaving me alone!”

“I’m not even _in your room_! You’re the one _watching porn_ without even bothering to put in headphones. You’re _sick_ ,” Trina sneered, then slammed the door.

Tori was drowning in embarrassment, mortified that Trina would report this incident to their mom. Oh god. Okay, she reopened the computer, force closed the offending window, and deleted her history from the last hour. There was no proof, only Trina’s accusations.

She opened up her contact list and saw that Jade was online.

**ToriVega: OMG**

**ScissorLuv: What??**

Just looking at Jade’s username was giving Tori a flashback.

**ToriVega: I’m so mortified like idek if I can talk about it**

**ScissorLuv: r u okay?**

**ToriVega: Yes**

**ToriVega: No**

**ToriVega: I don’t know**

Tori wasn’t sure how to explain it all, so she hit the video call button and collapsed down onto her side, pulling the computer closer to her and covering half her face with a pillow. When Jade’s face filled her screen, she looked concerned.

“What happened?” she asked.

Tori peeked out from under the pillow, “Trina walked in on me.”

“Yeah, so? We’ve established this is a thing.”

“I was watching a video.”

“Okay.”

Tori tucked the pillow under her head, but stayed on her side with one hand over her face. “It was porn.”

“ _Whoa_!” Jade sounded truly surprised.

There was a knock on Tori’s door. “Tori, it’s Mom.”

“Come in,” Tori said, weakly.

Holly pushed the door open and looked at her daughter. “Trina said you needed to talk to me about something.”

Oh, that gank. “No...I think she’s just being a pain because I’m video chatting with Jade.” Tori held up the computer to face her mother. She felt bad for lying to her mom, was pissed at Trina for trying to start something while simultaneously grateful that she hadn’t just ratted her out.

“Hi, Holly,” came Jade’s voice from the laptop.

“Okay, I paused my show for nothing, then.” Her mother left her alone, shutting the door behind her.

“Okay, _what_?” asked Jade.

“Do you _know_ what scissoring is, by the way, Ms. ScissorLuv?”

“Uh, other than the greatest movie of all time?”

“It’s a sex thing!” Tori hissed.

“Oh, yeah. That. Yeah, I kind of found that out when I was searching the movie back in junior high.”

“Well, that’s what I was looking at! And Trina could hear it.”

“Tori, everyone knows you’re supposed to plug in headphones if you’re going to watch porn.”

“I wasn’t planning to watch it!”

“Oh, so this was accidental porn.”

“Yes!”

Jade was quiet for a moment. “Was it any good?” she asked, chuckling.

“ _I don’t know_ ,” Tori shot back. This was frustrating because Jade was obviously entertained by her humiliation, though that was pretty standard. Maybe it wasn’t that big a deal. “It seemed...complicated.” The amused look on Jade’s face suggested she assumed there was more to the story, but there wasn’t. “I didn’t watch more than a few seconds, okay?”

“Hey, watch whatever you want.”

“I don’t want to--I’m not someone who…” Tori knew people watched porn and it wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, but she also didn’t want Jade to think she was some kind of sex-hungry maniac. “I was just trying to look some stuff up.”

“Hey, okay,” Jade’s voice softened. “It sounds like Trina at least kept her mouth shut, right? It’s fine.”

“I guess.”

“Listen, the only _Scissoring_ I care about you watching is the one with all the revenge murder.”

“Haha.”

“I’m totally serious.”

They chatted this way until it was time for dinner and Tori logged off, once more checking to make sure the offending history was forever vanished from her PearBook.

During the meal, both of her parents mostly caught up with each other about events from the day, but then her dad turned his attention to the girls. “Anything new at school? Trina, didn’t you have an audition?”

Trina droned on about whatever show she was trying to weasel her way into, but then started talking about how she had interesting news. When she said it, she shot a look right at Tori. Not wanting to give Trina any satisfaction in dragging her, Tori spoke up first.

“ _Yes, okay_ , Trina walked in on me while I was looking at porn! But it was _accidental_ porn because I was just trying to look up something else. And, okay, it did ask if I was over eighteen and _I lied about it_!”

“Ugh, Tori, I was trying to tell him about how I’m starring in a music video at school. Why do you always have to hog all the attention?” Trina shot up from the table and stormed toward the stairs.

David nodded and smiled at Holly. “Dinner was great, honey. I’ll be back up to do the dishes after I spend...oh, an hour in the garage forgetting I heard any of this.”

Tori lowered her head until her forehead was pressed against the table and waited for the room to clear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Blue Jeans_ by Lana Del Rey.
> 
> This chapter references the episode:
> 
> Three Girls and a Moose (4.04)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> Jade was still refusing to use the phrase “Tinkle-Aid.” Tori didn’t blame her. She still thought it sounded more like a disgusting beverage than a fundraiser.
> 
> When Jade knocked a little while later, Tori was showered and dressed and had brewed a fresh pot of coffee in anticipation.
> 
> She let Jade in, and she dropped her bag on one of the chairs near the door, looking a little harried. “Nice to see you?” Tori greeted cautiously. “There’s...coffee if that’s the problem.”
> 
> Jade glanced at her with hard eyes, but then said, “Thanks. But no. I’m just annoyed I had to find street parking because that pool repair van was taking up your whole driveway.”
> 
> “Chiz, really? Sorry. I’d have warned you but I didn’t know.”
> 
> “What’s wrong with your pool?” Jade asked. Her voice was still a little aggressive as she opened the cabinet full of mugs.
> 
> “Oh, nothing, they’re fixing the jacuzzi.”
> 
> Jade set her mug down heavily on the counter and spun around. “ _Tori_. You have a jacuzzi?! And you never told me?”
> 
> “Okay, well, we _had_ a jacuzzi, but it’s been broken since Trina put boba in it like two years ago because she thought it would improve the experience. My parents finally decided to get it fixed.”
> 
> “Okay,” Jade said, still staring intensely. “I _love_ jacuzzis,” she stated, very firmly.
> 
> “Oh, yeah,” Tori remembered learning this about Jade back at that crazy party at Kenan Thompson’s house. “Don’t you do a weird...witch soup thing?”
> 
> “Yes. It’s extremely important to me. When will your jacuzzi be fixed?”
> 
> “I don’t know,” Tori replied warily, “I heard them telling my dad they might need to go get a part for it.”
> 
> Jade groaned in agony, then turned and poured herself a cup of coffee. “As soon as it’s ready, you’d better tell me, Vega.”


	4. On a scale of one to ten I'm at a hundred

“So, this Saturday night my girlfriend and I are going to be appearing in _Tinkle-Aid_?”

Jade was going to kill Robbie. She didn’t understand why it couldn’t just be called Guys for Equal Restrooms like Andre suggested.

Cat told a disturbing story about her brother’s “tinkle-aid” stand as a child, but Jade was caught up in watching Tori. She had evidently survived her foray into the world of pornography the night before. She’d actually even further humiliated herself by confessing at dinner, thinking Trina was about to rat her out. Jade had died laughing at the retelling of it. She was grateful that Tori was always willing to share the humiliating moments with her. Tori got to unburden herself so that--maybe--she would freak out less, and Jade got her own little thrill out of it, somewhere between vicarious and schadenfreude.

But Tori was mostly her own normal self that day in school. She was wearing pink, she was relatively cheerful, and she wanted to get sushi at Nozu for lunch. Jade was genuinely psyched at the prospect, but Andre and Robbie complained that they’d already eaten at Nozu three times that week and they wanted burgers. The boys were outnumbered, though, and Jade thought they deserved to be outvoted, considering she, Tori, and Cat were going to selflessly perform in some nightmare called Tinkle-Aid later that week.

Before they left, though, they ran into Beck, whose Canadian friend Moose was in town visiting. He’d already mentioned this to Jade in passing earlier in the day, and had insisted that she “be nice to him.”

“Why would I not be nice to him?” she’d wanted to know.

Beck didn’t have a good answer to that, and instead reminded her that politeness was particularly important to Canadians, and it would go a long way toward making Moose feel welcome.

Fine, Jade could do “nice.” Even if she was also pretty sure Beck was messing with them by insisting they called kindergarten “feeferdoon” in Canada, and that didn’t seem very nice at all.

It turned out Moose was a rather appropriate name, because the guy who came down the stairs was large, blonde, and wore an oversized hockey jersey like he was born in it. He was ruggedly handsome, the opposite of Beck’s model-like features, and Jade found herself wanting to cause a little chaos. Whenever she’d tried to confront Beck about the flocks of annoying girls that surrounded him, he blew it all off as if she were somehow being irrational. She elbowed Tori and whispered, “Follow my lead. I’ll explain later.”

“What lead--” Tori began to ask, but Moose was already front and center among their group.

As Beck introduced him, Jade flashed a smile and dialed up the charm. “Guys, this is my friend, Moose.”

“Yeah, we know,” Jade drawled.

“From fluffernugget,” said Cat.

While Tori emulated Jade’s flirtation, she was also going, like, way overboard in a way that made it difficult to keep a straight face. Cat, however, had not been clued into the plan (neither was Tori, fully, just yet) and seemed to be genuinely enamored of the big lug. Hey, cool. Maybe they could help Cat get a date. You know, after proving a point to Beck.

“Uh, Moose,” Tori said, “we were all about to go grab some sushi,” oh god, she was doing A Very Tori thing and calling it “su-shay” and why was her girlfriend the biggest weirdo? “If you want to come.”

Moose turned down the offer, saying he didn’t want raw fish, that, “I’m more of a burger and fries guy.”

“Oh," squealed Tori, “a burger sounds great.”

“Yes!” agreed Jade.

“So great,” echoed Cat. “Let’s go get burgers.”

“We could go to Karaoke Dokie,” Jade said, stealing the suggestion the other guys had offered up just minutes before. “I’ll drive!” And then they were dragging Moose out the doors of the school toward the parking lot. As they walked and while Cat was busy asking if Moose was, in fact, named after a moose, Jade sidled up to Tori. “So, just keep piling on the attention.”

“Okay, but why? I mean, he seems really nice and it’s fun, but…”

“Beck doesn’t see how it’s annoying when it’s always happening to him,” Jade explained. “But maybe if he can’t get a word in because girls are all over his buddy…”

“Then maybe he’ll finally get it,” Tori understood.

As they approached the car, Jade announced, “Whoops, hey, guess Moose has to ride up front with me. All that leg and torso needs some room.”

Jade drove them to Karaoke Dokie while the other guys followed in Beck’s car. Having a strange, tall boy in her car was fine, though Jade didn’t want to lay on the charm too thick when Beck wasn’t even there to see it. Cat was already complaining that it was hard to talk to Moose when she was sitting behind him, so Jade turned on the radio.

“But I can’t hear him!” Cat whined.

“Hey, I like this song,” Moose commented, seeming oblivious to Cat’s attention.

“You do?” Jade asked pleasantly. She cranked the volume.

In her rearview mirror, she saw Tori startle and cover her ears, and Cat was shouting something she couldn’t hear.

“He likes this song!” Jade screamed at them in explanation. Good, that meant they didn’t have to talk much in the car. She didn’t want Cat to say something weird that might upset the game.

When they made it to Karaoke Dokie, Jade parked, and as they piled out of the car, she noticed that Tori had updated her Slap profile. Not that she had cell phone alerts set up for her girlfriend or anything. Not that she would admit to, anyway. And oh god, she was going overboard as usual, with a post about how her new favorite animal was the moose, paired with an “Oh yeah. Ohhhh… yeahhhhh… :)”

She really was insane. But Jade had to admire her commitment to the plan.

They surrounded Moose as they met up with Beck, Andre and Robbie outside the restaurant, and piled in together.

Beck looked around as they came in. “There’s no big tables, so let’s just take two,” he suggested. Foolish Beck. As if pushing tables together wasn’t an option. But Jade took advantage of his mistake.

Or she tried, anyway. Cat and Tori jumped right into the chairs at the table Moose selected, but Robbie pushed ahead of Jade to claim the fourth seat. She screamed at him, but apparently even he was so enamored with Moose that he wasn’t intimidated.

“My legs are straddling the chair! My legs are straddling!” Robbie shouted at her, with finality. Jade groaned and went to sit over with Beck and Andre.

“Wow, Moose seems like a pretty cool dude,” Andre told Beck.

“Yeah, I’m psyched to hang out with him,” Beck replied, “At _some_ point. When I can actually sit with him.” An edge of irritation was lacing his voice. Jade suppressed a smile. It was already working.

She tuned out whatever Andre and Beck were talking about, focused on listening to the table behind her. She heard Robbie relaying the disturbing story of how he was inspired to call the fundraiser Tinkle-Aid while he was in the shower--which meant that _somehow_ , Tinkle-Aid had gotten worse in her mind.

But then Tori interrupted with, “So! You’re from Canada. That’s so...northern and rugged, and...you smell _good_.”

Holy chiz, did Tori think that’s what it sounded like to be attracted to someone? Maybe it was a good thing they kind of fell into making out before feelings happened, so Tori never really tried to flirt with her.

“I love Canada!” Cat put in.

“Really? What do you love about it?” Moose asked. Maybe he wasn’t totally oblivious, though, because it almost sounded like a challenge.

“Uh. Hey, what is this, some kind of quiz or something?” Cat asked, dissolving into giggles.

By this point, Jade was openly ignoring Beck and Andre, turned in her seat to watch her plan unfold at the other table. Tori was looking a little awkward, but also adorable as she fawned over the Canadian specimen next to her. Cat still seemed to be genuinely interested. She wondered how long this could go on until Cat tried to get the upper hand by revealing that Jade and Tori were involved. And Robbie, well, she hadn’t considered him a part of the plan, but maybe she should have. Who knew which way Moose swung, anyway?

Beck and Andre were talking about the performance on Saturday, and she registered that Andre asked her a question. Instead of answering, Jade said, “How much does Moose weight, like 210? 220?”

“I don’t know,” Beck answered, bewildered and definitely starting to sound annoyed. At the other table, Tori was holding up Moose’s hand to show Cat how enormous it was.

“So, how long are you going to be here in Hollywood?” Tori asked Moose.

“Okay,” Beck leaned close, before Jade could hear what Tori said next, “What is going on here? I thought you and Tori were…” he trailed off.

Jade turned back around, shrugging nonchalantly. “Tori’s a big girl. She can do what she wants.”

Beck’s eyes went wide and he stared. “You’re okay with this?” he asked in shock.

Jade tilted her head, blinking innocently. “Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked.

Beck stared at her. “Okay, who are you, and what have you done with the real Jade West?” Andre wasn’t speaking, but he, too, looked confused and concerned.

Jade was still trying to listen in on the conversation at the other table, and her attention perked up when she heard Moose say, “I was hoping to go see the house where they filmed my favorite scary movie.”

“Oh! What movie?” Tori asked.

“ _The Scissoring_ ,” Moose replied.

Okay, Jade didn’t even need to feign enthusiasm here. She darted up. “You’re a fan of _The Scissoring_?”

“Oh, yeah!” Moose smiled.

She grabbed Robbie and tossed him out of his chair. “First of all, I love that movie more than I love my mother.” This was so much easier when she didn’t have to lie. “ _And_ , I know exactly where that house is. I even know how to sneak in the backyard.” She saw Tori exchange a look with Cat, and Jade picked up one of Moose’s hands. “Look at that hand. You must destroy gloves.”

Tori gasped in response, and it didn’t seem feigned at all. Jade smirked. Tori called for a waiter so he could order a hamburger, but the server who approached their table was a pretty blonde woman and Moose seemed very interested in her.

“Hey,” he said, leaning across the table.

“Well, we don’t want you!” Tori said.

Jade didn’t even have to dig deep to pull up the type of reaction that followed, “Go get the ugly waiter.” The woman seemed annoyed and, while Jade wasn’t in the habit of caring too much about whether or not people thought she was rude, she did realize that maybe this had gone on long enough to make her point. “Or stay, take his order, I don’t care.” She shot a look across at Tori, who was still in the heat of it, and Jade figured she might need to reel her back in. “Tori, come to the bathroom with me.”

“But I’m sitting with Moose,” Tori said, patting his arm.

“Yeah, we’re sitting with Moose,” Cat repeated.

“Okay, Cat,” Jade said, “I didn’t _ask you_ and Tori, trust me, it’s _important_.”

Tori at least caught on that she should follow and rose from the table. As they headed toward the restrooms, Cat had already taken Tori’s spot and said, “It’s true, it is really important to go to the bathroom.”

Once they were back around the corner, away from everyone, Jade grabbed Tori’s elbow. “I thought we were going to the bathroom!” Tori said.

“I just didn’t want you to take it too far. I think it’s probably enough.”

“You were the one talking about _destroying gloves_. What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know, he has huge hands.” She watched as Tori looked off for a moment, lost in something. “What?”

“I just...I don’t think I’m into that. Like, at all.” Tori’s hand slipped into hers. “I like your Jade-sized hands.”

After spending an hour trying to torture Beck, Jade decided she was definitely done with the game she’d started. While it had been fun to flirt with Moose, she much preferred Tori’s attention focused on her. Jade lifted their hands and kissed Tori’s before leading her back out into the dining room.

Robbie had taken his previous seat back, leaving one seat open at each table.

“Beck, don’t be rude, go sit with your friend. He came all the way from Canada,” Jade said, poking him in the shoulder.

He glanced at the couple standing over him, looking more confused than ever. “ _What_ is happening?”

“Get up, we have to talk to Andre about…” Jade refused to say Tinkle-Aid, “Saturday.”

Beck cautiously rose, as if he expected some kind of “gotcha” moment to occur, but Jade just sat right down in his seat while Tori sat next to her. Jade could tell by the look he shot her across the restaurant when he finally sat at Moose’s table that he had a lot of questions and maybe she’d feel like answering them later.

Right now, she had to find out what song she was singing at...the event.

Andre stared at them as they sat down with him. “I really don’t understand what’s happening today.”

“What do you mean?” Jade feigned innocence.

Andre ignored her, “Tori?” he prompted.

Tori glanced behind them, then leaned closer to Andre. “Jade had the idea to show Beck how annoying it is when you’re trying to spend time with someone who’s constantly surrounded by irritating women.” She glanced at Jade, “At least we never got to the level of fist-fighting,” she covered her nose for emphasis.

Andre nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, that _is_ annoying. Good on you.” He looked over their shoulders, “I don’t think Beck has any idea that’s what this is about, though.”

“He’ll figure it out,” Jade said. And if he needed it spelled out for him, she’d do that, too.

Later that night, she decided to find out if Beck had taken any lessons away from the afternoon.

**Did we learn anything today?**

**?**

**Like at school?**

For chiz sake, he wasn’t this dense. She wouldn’t have dated him for years if he was.

**I know you were annoyed that we were all over Moose**

**I was confused because you and Tori are a thing**

**Okay, what about Cat and Robbie?**

**They’re not a thing**

**Not really, anyway**

**They were all over Moose too**

**You didn’t find that to be irritating?**

**What’s your point?**

Ugh, she couldn’t tell if he was actually not getting it or if he was being purposefully obtuse.

**Look, it’s just a real pain to be out with someone like that**

**When people are all over them and you’re just trying to hang out**

**Oh, I see**

**It was fine**

Typical. He had no real opinion on it. Jade wasn’t sure what she’d expected.

But the next morning, while she waited in the hall for Tori to show up, Jade saw Beck at his locker, looking...a little rough.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“Huh?” He barely seemed awake. “Oh, I...didn’t sleep so well. Had this weird dream.”

“You know weird dreams are my favorite.”

Beck eyed her, then shrugged. “You, Tori, and Cat were all over Moose--”

“Okay, that was yesterday and it was a real thing, remember?”

“This was beyond that. You guys were fighting, wearing costumes to school, and showing up at my trailer with a barbecue full of hamburgers. And, on top of not getting to see Moose before he left, we had to rearrange all of…” Even Beck didn’t want to say the stupid name of the event, “Tinkle-Aid,” he whispered. “Because you and Tori never showed to rehearse.” He sighed. “I guess it does really suck when people don’t want to be around you. It’s just not something I’m used to.”

Huh. Jade’s plan _had_ worked. There was also a hint of something else in that last comment, like maybe it was about more than Moose. “Tori and I will be there tonight, don’t worry,” Jade assured him.

He nodded. “Cool.”

“So, what _kind_ of costumes were we wearing at school?” Jade asked, curious about what direction this dream of Beck’s traveled.

“Uh, well, Tori had a hockey jersey made up with her name on it, but it was her first name, which is weird, because that’s not how you do it--”

“Enough with the Canadian trivia, what else?”

“It’s not Canadian...okay, you had on the dress from _The Scissoring_ and were waving your scissors around in a way that, frankly, I don’t think was very safe.”

Jade considered the scenario. “That sounds about right.”

-

Jade had dropped Tori off Friday night after rehearsal at Karaoke Dokie, but it was late enough that they’d just settled for Driveway Time, since even Jade was expected home before midnight when her mom was actually home.

Saturday morning, Tori came down for some breakfast to find her mother baking some treats in the kitchen. She hoped there would also be some non-cannabis infused snacks when it was all said and done. “Morning, Mom,” she yawned.

“Oh, good morning, sweetie,” her mom replied, “Would you like some coffee?”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Tori said.

For once, she at least didn’t have to make it herself, because her mom said, “Grab yourself a mug, then,” she gestured to the half-full pot of coffee.

Tori prepared her coffee with cream and sugar and then poured herself some cereal. Her mom was carefully measuring ingredients, including from her tub of homemade cannabis cooking oil, so Tori was careful not to bother her for a few minutes.

When Tori sat down to eat, though, her mom said, “Oh, by the way. Don’t make any plans for tomorrow afternoon.”

Tori groaned, “Why? Am I in trouble?”

“Of course not, sweetheart,” her mom reassured.

“Are we going to see Grandma?” Tori asked pointedly.

Holly shot her a disappointed look. “Going to see Grandma is _not_ a punishment,” she said disapprovingly.

“Isn’t it, though?” Tori probed.

Holly didn’t answer. “Just make sure you’re here around noon tomorrow.”

Tori sighed loudly, and reached for her phone.

**I think I’m in trouble for the porn**

**Good morning to you too**

**Why what happened?**

**Mom told me I have to be home tomorrow afternoon**

**She won’t tell me why though**

**That sucks**

**Well I was going to invite you to come to The Scissoring house**

**Because I offered to take Moose and Beck as a peace offering**

**But I guess that’s a no**

**Don’t worry**

**I’ll be over soon anyway**

**We need to pick our outfits for tonight**

Jade was still refusing to use the phrase “Tinkle-Aid.” Tori didn’t blame her. She still thought it sounded more like a disgusting beverage than a fundraiser.

When Jade knocked a little while later, Tori was showered and dressed and had brewed a fresh pot of coffee in anticipation.

She let Jade in, and she dropped her bag on one of the chairs near the door, looking a little harried. “Nice to see you?” Tori greeted cautiously. “There’s...coffee if that’s the problem.”

Jade glanced at her with hard eyes, but then said, “Thanks. But no. I’m just annoyed I had to find street parking because that pool repair van was taking up your whole driveway.”

“Chiz, really? Sorry. I’d have warned you but I didn’t know.”

“What’s wrong with your pool?” Jade asked. Her voice was still a little aggressive as she opened the cabinet full of mugs.

“Oh, nothing, they’re fixing the jacuzzi.”

Jade set her mug down heavily on the counter and spun around. “ _Tori_. You have a jacuzzi?! And you never told me?”

“Okay, well, we _had_ a jacuzzi, but it’s been broken since Trina put boba in it like two years ago because she thought it would improve the experience. My parents finally decided to get it fixed.”

“Okay,” Jade said, still staring intensely. “I _love_ jacuzzis,” she stated, very firmly.

“Oh, yeah,” Tori remembered learning this about Jade back at that crazy party at Kenan Thompson’s house. “Don’t you do a weird...witch soup thing?”

“Yes. It’s extremely important to me. When will your jacuzzi be fixed?”

“I don’t know,” Tori replied warily, “I heard them telling my dad they might need to go get a part for it.”

Jade groaned in agony, then turned and poured herself a cup of coffee. “As soon as it’s ready, you’d better tell me, Vega.”

It had been awhile since Jade had called her by her last name like that. Tori realized, with a delicious little shiver, that she kind of liked it. “Don’t worry. You can come over and use it as soon as it’s fixed.”

When Jade turned back around, taking her first sip of coffee, her eyes had already started to soften. Tori approached her more confidently now, and Jade wrapped her other arm around Tori’s waist to bring her in for a kiss.

“Should we go upstairs?” Tori offered, noting the blend of the coffee and Jade’s cinnamon mints on her lips.

“Yeah, let’s,” Jade replied.

They rummaged through Tori’s closet with Jade vetoing anything pink, which immediately cut the options down to less than half.

“Wait, aren’t we supposed to try and coordinate?” Tori asked. “You didn’t bring anything.”

“Because I already know exactly what I’m wearing.”

“Let me guess,” Tori said, “is it all black?”

“It’s _mostly_ black,” Jade countered. She kept flipping through the items hanging in the closet. “No, no, nope, no…” Finally, something elicited a different response than the negative. “Okay…” Jade tossed a black and white printed sleeveless shirt on to Tori’s bed. “And then…” she poked around looking at Tori’s selection of pants, finally finding a pair of shimmery turquoise jeans. “Here.”

“Oh, I have a cute vest that’ll go with this!” Tori excitedly groped around in the closet until she found the black, sequined accessory.

“At least it’s black,” Jade said.

Tori, though, wanted a little more color, so she finally got Jade to agree to a purple belt when Tori pointed out, “It matches your hair.”

She could have sworn Jade almost blushed.

-

Jade’s outfit, truthfully, was all black, with notes of silver in it. Tori was quick to point this out when she got into Jade’s passenger seat that evening to drive over to the event together.

“Hey, I like the way it coordinates with you and your pop of color,” Jade defended, gesturing at Tori’s shiny blue pants. She also noticed Tori was wearing the bracelet she’d given her for her birthday. They hadn’t discussed that, but Jade liked it. “Also, I match your bracelet.”

“That’s not shocking,” Tori replied, fingers running over its silvery studs.

And, okay, as ridiculous as Tori looked most of the time, the outfit they’d put together did look good. Even the ridiculous little vest. Jade refused to wear one of the yellow ribbons they were passing out, though, and told the guys to not even try to make Tori wear one, either. They’d put too much effort into their looks to let them get ruined.

Tinkle-Aid--Jade still shuddered at even the thought of the stupid name--was actually pretty fun. The song Andre wrote was catchy and Jade had been looking forward to performing it since they started rehearsing. Robbie’s magic show was actually pretty good, and Cat was a charming and funny assistant. Jade could tell she wasn’t the only one impressed with it, because Sinjin and Burf couldn’t seem to leave Robbie alone afterwards.

“Looks like Robbie has two suitors,” she pointed out to Tori, who smothered her laughter in Jade’s shoulder.

The only thing not great was the food. Jade still wasn’t ready to even look at another basket of Buffalo Nuggets, even two weeks after Tori’s birthday party, and they were the dish of choice that evening (each basket sold donated half the proceeds to the fundraiser).

After the event, Jade drove Tori back home. “So, is your jacuzzi fixed yet?” she asked as she parked in the driveway.

Tori shot her a look, “Well, since no one has been here since we left, I’m going to say no.” She reached for Jade’s hand, “I will _tell you_ as soon as it’s fixed,” she promised.

Jade had already put a swimsuit in her trunk in preparation. As soon as it was repaired, she would be ready.

But for now, she had Tori leaning over the center console, kissing her fervently. Jade kissed back, letting herself appreciate the moment. They still didn’t know what was going on with Tori tomorrow, so there was no telling if this would be the last time they’d see each other this weekend.

Tori pulled away, fist wrapped around Jade’s shirt collar, grinning adorably, “You know,” she murmured, “It’s our week-i-versary.”

Jade found herself grinning in response. This was ridiculous, they’d been dating for over a month, kissing for much longer, but Tori acknowledging that they’d officially been girlfriends for a week produced some intensely-felt emotions in Jade’s chest that she didn’t quite know how to handle. “It is,” she agreed, brushing Tori’s hair back from her face.

Tori let out a contented little sigh, “I’m just...I’m really happy with you, Jade.”

In answer, Jade kissed her again. She hoped it expressed what she couldn’t yet put into words.

-

Tori woke up apprehensively Sunday morning. She, of course, still didn’t know what was happening today. Her mother hadn’t _actually_ denied that they were going to see Grandma, so in Tori’s mind, it seemed like the most likely scenario. So Tori made sure she was awake at a reasonable hour so she had time to eat some breakfast and shower before noon.

She’d been sitting in her room and texting coffee memes with Jade as noon rolled around, intent on keeping the conversation lowkey and fun so she wasn’t stressing about whatever today’s mystery punishment would be. Jade, who had slept later, was probably still waking up, so coffee memes were about the extent of her capabilities at that point anyway.

At just before twelve, Tori heard the doorbell rang, the lilt of feminine voices as her mom greeted whoever was there, and then, “Tori! Come downstairs, please!”

She sighed and steeled herself for whatever her punishment was going to be.

She came down the stairs and found her mother and a woman she’d never seen before standing at the dining room table together. Tori approached cautiously, “Mom?” she asked curiously.

“Oh, Tori! Come say hello. Tori, this is Patrice Kline, Patrice, this is my daughter Tori.”

Tori wasn’t close enough to shake hands or anything, so she just offered an awkward half wave, “Hey,” she greeted, still confused.

“Hello, Tori,” Patrice said. Her voice was warm, low, a little gravelly.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” Holly prompted.

Tori sat at her usual spot at the dining room table, and Patrice took a seat at the other side of the table. Tori shifted uncomfortably. She felt like maybe she was on one of those hidden camera prank shows. Or was this some kind of intervention? She gazed at her mom, hoping for some kind of explanation.

Holly took a seat at the head of the table, between them, and started, “So, Tori,” her mom folded her hands in front of her. Tori sat up straighter. “When you started dating Jade, your father and I realized it might be time to have another talk with you about sex. But, we also realized we might be a little out of our depth.”

“Oh, god,” Tori was already sinking in her seat.

“So, Patrice is a sex educator, and we’ve asked her here to talk to you and answer any questions you might have.”

Tori eyed Patrice for only a moment before letting her gaze sink down at the table again. She was probably a little younger than Tori’s mom, and she carried a big leather messenger bag, which she set down on the table next to her.

Patrice spoke to Tori, “So, Tori, we can begin shortly. But one thing first. If you would be more comfortable with your mom here with you, that’s perfectly fine. Otherwise, she can leave us alone to talk.”

Tori could barely look at her mom, “Um, you should go, Mom.”

“Well,” Holly said, standing up. “It sounds like it’s going to be interesting. I’m sad to miss it!”

“I could give you some pamphlets to look over!” Patrice offered.

“Ooh, yes please!” Holly replied.

While Patrice was busy supplying Tori’s mom with literature, Tori grabbed her phone and texted Jade under the table.

**You are not going to believe what’s happening to me right now**

**Omg**

**What?**

**Tell you later**

**Seriously?**

**You tease**

Tori shoved her phone back in her pocket, realizing that Patrice was watching her and waiting. She blushed and glanced up at her. “Sorry.”

“Texting your girlfriend?” Patrice asked knowingly.

“Yeah,” Tori admitted.

“Are you two sexually active?”

So, she was just going to get right into it, was she? Tori blanched for a second, but at least it forced her to look up at the other woman. “N-no!” she protested. “We just kiss.” Well, that wasn’t true, “And maybe--” but she stopped herself.

Patrice leaned forward conspiratorially, “Tori, you don’t have to tell me anything you’re not comfortable disclosing, but please note that anything you say to me is confidential. Unless you disclose anything that indicates a serious threat to your health and safety, because as a licensed therapist, I would be required to intervene.”

Weirdly, it made Tori feel better. Maybe it was because Patrice was sort of...okay, now that Tori was really looking at her, she realized she was attractive, for an older woman. Dark hair, kind of intense eyeliner, a sort of rocker vibe in her black t-shirt and jeans with tattoos on her arms. Actually, with the whiskey-soaked voice, she kind of reminded Tori of Jade, a little bit. Tori bit her lip and nodded, but didn’t say anything else.

“Okay, so, I’m just going to go through some basics with you. Some of it you may already know, but I ask you to please let me finish. If I stopped whenever young people told me they knew everything already, I’d never finish a single presentation.” She gave a reassuring smile.

“Okay,” Tori agreed weakly.

“So,” Patrice said, “Let’s talk about the vagina. Are you and your girlfriend both cis women?”

“Are we _what_?”

“Women assigned female at birth, women with vaginas.” Tori was starting to get it, vaguely recalling having heard the term before, but Patrice elaborated anyway, “Not all women have vaginas, and not all vaginas belong to women.”

“Right,” Tori’s mind was spinning. “Um, yes, we’re both...we both have...vaginas,” she got out. “I mean, I haven’t _seen_ Jade’s…” Her ears were absolutely on fire.

“So, we’re going to take a look at the anatomy of the vagina.” And here she pulled out of her bag what Tori mistook for a muppet with a moustache and stared at curiously.

“What is--oh my god.”

It was a soft, plushy vagina, with feathery fur around the lips. She discovered it was actually a puppet when Patrice slipped her hand in the back to open and close it.

Tori sat through the demonstration about the anatomy of the vagina, about the importance of the clitoris for pleasure for many women, about the anatomy of the clitoris itself, including its internal structure (here Patrice pulled out another little model that looked like a weird wishbone dinosaur to give Tori a visual).

“Any questions about that?” Patrice asked.

“No,” Tori replied shyly.

Patrice informed her that she would be providing Tori with a pamphlet about the penis as well as a few about transition in case it was ever information she or a friend might need, but disclosed that most of her presentation would focus on the cis female experience since it was most relevant to Tori’s situation. She then began to talk to Tori about the various ways people identify, in terms of gender and sexuality. There were more terms than Tori thought she could possibly remember, though a good chunk of them were ones she’d at least heard before.

“Any questions about that?” Patrice asked.

“Actually,” Tori started, “Yeah. I know you just talked about how people identify all sorts of ways, but I’m really just stuck on the basics over here. How do I know if I’m gay or something else?”

“Well, the search for identity can be a lifelong process for some people. It can also be rather fluid, and may not be set in stone when we’re young. Human sexuality is rich and varied, however, so some people report that they knew they were gay or trans as very young children and have never wavered. What has your experience been like so far?”

“I...well, I’ve had boyfriends before. Not like, serious boyfriends, though. But Jade is my first girlfriend, and the person I’ve gone the furthest with. And everything about it feels different, but I don’t know if that’s because I’m older or what. I mean, my last boyfriend, we didn’t even do the Hundred Day Kiss.”

Patrice looked interested, “What’s the Hundred Day Kiss?”

“Okay, I didn’t find this out until recently or I probably wouldn’t have wanted to do it, but apparently it’s when a guy takes the girl he’s been dating for a hundred days into a closet and gropes her boobs while he kisses her. But like, I guess they try to make it a surprise.”

“That’s...gross and horrible. I’m glad that never happened to you.”

“Me, too,” Tori grimaced.

“So things are more serious with Jade?” Patrice prompted.

“Yeah. And, I guess, I don’t know…” She was trying to decide if she could disclose what she was thinking to the sex educator, that she was beginning to have sexual thoughts and feelings for the first time, at least ones that were connected to something other than random body urges.

As her silence stretched, Patrice said, “You don’t have to decide anything about your identity now if you’re not ready. But as I said, identity can change. If something feels true to you now and you want to identify with it, that’s perfectly fine, and it’s also perfectly fine if that changes some day in the future.”

“Okay,” Tori nodded. It didn’t really tell her how to definitively tell, but then, Tori was starting to think there wasn’t really a way except to think about things and see how they felt.

“Unless you have any more questions, we can move on to sexual activity.”

Tori felt like she was sitting in front of a bonfire with how hot her face got. “No more questions,” she managed.

“I’ll start with masturbation,” Patrice began.

Tori shifted in her seat, “I think...I’m starting to get a pretty good handle on that.”

“Of course. But please indulge me.” Patrice began to explain about how masturbation was the safest form of sex and began to describe a few common ways women performed it. Tori learned, to her humiliation, that the way she had abused her pillow was relatively common. “And don’t use anything as a sex toy that isn’t intended to be used as a sex toy,” Patrice finished.

“... _What_?” Tori asked in horror.

“You’re under eighteen, so you’re not legally allowed to buy sex toys. But many young people start masturbating much earlier than eighteen, which is perfectly normal. However, many young women are at a disadvantage compared to their male peers. It’s easier for a young man to explore what partnered sex might feel like just using his hand, but that isn’t as possible for young women. Furthermore, some women find that only a vibrator can provide the stimulation they need to climax. Since penetrative toys and vibrators aren’t accessible to adolescents exploring their sexuality, other than the novelty ones sold as ‘neck massagers’ that I really cannot recommend in any good conscience, some young women may not achieve orgasm until adulthood. And some may have partnered sex without knowing what feels good to them.” Tori took that in. Made sense. “So,” Patrice continued, “Some women attempt to get creative and use household objects as masturbatory aids. But this can lead to injury or infection, so I must warn you not to.”

“Don’t worry,” Tori shuddered.

“So I’m going to begin discussing some of the various sexual acts that people engage in, as well as the safer sex practices associated with them that you should be aware of. I have some dolls I can bring out if you’d like a visual representation to go along with them?”

“No, no thank you,” Tori was blushing again, “I kind of...already have some experience trying to look at visuals for this kind of thing.”

“Anything you’d like to share?” Patrice asked.

“I think...I think it’s why you’re here,” Tori disclosed. Patrice was watching her attentively, so Tori elaborated. “So there’s this movie, _The Scissoring_ \--which is a regular movie, like a horror movie--and Jade loves it. And I was trying to look up information for how lesbians have sex, and that’s how I found out that there’s a _sex_ thing called scissoring, but I couldn’t quite make sense of the description. So I looked it up, and I accidentally started watching a porn, and my sister overheard!”

“Oh, no,” Patrice’s expression was sympathetic, “You didn’t have your headphones in?”

Tori groaned, “I didn’t know it was going to _be_ a porn!”

“Was it helpful to you at all?”

“Not really,” Tori said. “It was just a lot of...aggressive...I guess, grinding? But also, like, I could _see_ everything. Like, _everything_. So I’m not really sure how they were...touching? And that seemed like it might be the point?”

“I know I need to preface this by saying you shouldn’t be looking at pornography because you’re under eighteen,” Patrice started, “But I’m also aware that most children see pornography for the first time as young as eleven.”

“ _Eleven_?”

“Yes. It’s very easy to access. And this can especially become a problem if no one ever explains to young people consuming pornography that it’s a very specific, performative kind of sex that doesn’t at all resemble the sex most people experience. Like how you were saying you could see the genitals of the female performers? Actors are positioned in ways to ensure the camera can see their genitals. Most people having sex can’t position their bodies that way or wouldn’t want to because it isn’t all that comfortable or pleasureable.”

That all made sense to Tori. More than most kids her age, she probably had a better sense of how life didn’t always resemble what appeared in a camera lens. “Okay. That makes sense. And I’m not looking for a repeat of that experience,” she reassured Patrice.

“Pornography can serve as a healthy outlet for a lot of people, but not for everyone, and how ethically it is produced can vary widely. I have a pamphlet about it that I’ll leave with you.”

“Okay,” Tori agreed.

She listened this time as Patrice talked about consent and communication with a partner, then moved on to sex acts and safer sex measures. This part aligned more closely with what she remembered from sex ed at her old high school, but with more attention paid to a wider variety of sex acts. And somehow, hearing Patrice explain it made more sense than trying to read about it on a website.

“So, Tori, that about wraps up my presentation. I have a collection of pamphlets for you if you ever find you need further information, including one here about how to find sex-positive therapy resources, should you need additional guidance in the future. Now, did you have any other questions for me?”

“Actually, yes.” Tori sat forward. “I do have one more.”

“Let’s hear it.” Patrice fixed her with her attentive gaze.

“I was wondering...how will I know when I’m not a virgin anymore? Like, you just went over a bunch of ways people have sex, but what...counts?”

Patrice smiled almost ruefully. “Virginity as a concept was created to really only reflect the supposed ‘changes’ to a woman’s body from penis-in-vagina intercourse. But there’s so much variation in this that it just isn’t possible to tell if someone is a virgin based on physical examination. So, it doesn’t really have any meaning beyond what people make of it. Some cisgender male-female couples have anal intercourse,” oh god, Tori wanted to slide right out of her chair and under the table, “and consider themselves virgins. So virginity isn’t something you can attribute an act to. It’s something you have to decide for yourself when you feel that you’ve been intimate enough with someone to have reached that point.”

“That’s stupid,” Tori snapped, frustrated, “Why isn’t there a straight answer to this? First I have to decide for myself if I’m gay, and then I have to decide when I’m not a virgin?”

Patrice shrugged apologetically, “That’s part of being a queer person in a heteronormative society. The culture wasn’t built to recognize our experiences.”

Wait. Had she said… “I’m sorry, you said _our_? As in you’re, um...” Tori didn’t know exactly what word to use.

“Queer?” Patrice nodded. “Technically, I identify as pansexual, homoromantic. But I’ve previously described myself as bisexual and lesbian at different parts of my sexual journey over time. But, yeah, queer is, for me, the easiest way to communicate ‘definitely not straight.’”

It made sense, Tori realized, that her parents would bring in a sex educator who was “definitely not straight” to come talk to her now that she had a girlfriend. She considered what Patrice had just said, about how many labels she’d put on herself over time, but mostly she liked what she’d said about the word “queer.” Maybe Tori just needed something that meant she wasn’t straight. Especially given how often she found herself thinking about Jade’s boobs.

Actually, that made her think of another question. “Okay, maybe I have one more question from something you were talking about earlier?” Patrice nodded for her to continue and Tori had to take a moment to find the words, because this was, well, personal. “Is it...uh, ethical, to think of someone else while you’re...you know,” she pulled in a long, deep breath before she finally said it, “masturbating? Like a real person that you know?”

“Ethical might not be the most helpful framework here, because even ethics has a lot of variability based on how people answer questions about autonomy and human rights.” Tori knew she must have a blank look, so Patrice moved on. “When it comes to partnered sex, ethics is more relevant because we have developed the framework of consent to ensure everyone involved wants to participate. But less so for masturbation...fantasy is very personal. Some people fantasize about scenarios that can never actually happen in our reality. Some people fantasize about celebrities. In general, thinking about what turns you on hurts no one and enhances your own experience, and as it doesn’t actually involve anyone else, you don’t need someone’s consent to fantasize about them. As long as your fantasizing doesn’t lead to you treating anyone badly, or performing nonconsensual sexual acts against anyone, fantasy is harmless.” Patrice flourished with her hand, “Think about whatever you want when you masturbate.”

Okay. That made sense. Tori felt a little better. “Okay. Thank you for answering my questions.”

“You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with before I go?”

Tori shook her head. “No, I think that’s it.” Despite the fact that she’d been comfortable enough to ask some questions, Tori still felt awkward as all hell as she stood up and accepted a firm handshake from the sex educator. “I’ll, um, go find my mom to see you out.”

She went upstairs and knocked on her parents’ door to let her mom know Patrice was ready to leave, and then hurried to shut herself in her room with her armful of pamphlets before her mom could come out into the hallway.

She pulled out her phone.

**I’m mortified**

**Okay seriously are you finally going to tell me what’s going on?**

**Should I come over?**

**IDK**

**I don’t even know if I can talk about it**

**Okay I’m definitely coming over**

Tori thought that actually seeing Jade right now might be kind of a lot, but she also didn’t want to say no. As she tried to figure out how to reply, there was a knock at her door. “What?” she asked weakly.

Her mom popped her head in, “Well? How was your conversation with Patrice?”

Did her mom really think she was going to answer that? Instead, Tori said, “How do you even know her?”

“Oh, she’s a big fan of my cannabis erotic enhancement lubricant,” Holly said brightly, “She contacted me a year or so ago to ask if she could make a pamphlet about it to give to women with orgasmic and pelvic pain issues.”

Tori barely heard past the first sentence. “Your _what--_?!” she couldn’t bring herself to actually say erotic or lubricant so she just made a weird noise in her throat.

“I think it’s really going to catch on one of these days.”

“Oh my god, Mom, stop.” Tori waved her hands at her, “I can’t talk about this with you.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I asked Patrice to come over,” Holly sounded disappointed, but she left Tori’s bedroom door open and went back downstairs.

Tori hid her head under her pillow, vowing not to even look at her family for the rest of the day.

-

Jade knocked on the door to the Vega house, and was only a little surprised when Holly opened it. Tori almost always seemed to answer the door at her house, especially if she knew Jade was coming over. “Oh, hi, Jade,” she said, “I think Tori’s upstairs in her room.”

“Thanks, Holly. I’ll go find her.”

She went up the stairs to find Tori’s bedroom door open, and her girlfriend curled up on her bed with her head completely hidden.

“Whoa,” Jade said from the doorway, “What happened to you?”

Tori groaned piteously, “Close the door,” she whined.

Jade obeyed and walked over to sit on the edge of Tori’s bed next to her. “Okay, seriously, what did your parents do? Are you grounded?” Jade was concerned that Tori wasn’t even looking at her, but Tori had also told her she was mortified, and that was always funny. She tried to keep her expression on the concerned end of things, even though Tori couldn’t see her.

“No,” Tori whispered, and finally, she lifted the pillow off her head, just slightly, so Jade could see her face, cheeks pink behind her glasses. “My mom made a professional sex educator come talk to me,” she finally said, very fast, pillow falling to cover her back up.

Jade’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t suppress a laugh, “She did what?”

“You heard me,” Tori confirmed in a muffled voice.

“Wow.” They were both quiet for a moment. “Well, what did you learn?” Jade asked.

“ _Jade_!”

“ _What_?”

“Can’t you see I’m dying of embarrassment?”

“You seem pretty alive to me.”

Tori pushed the pillow off of her head and rolled onto her back to glare up at Jade. Finally, she said, “She gave me a lot of pamphlets.”

Jade smirked, already intrigued. “Where are they?”

Tori pointed toward her desk. Jade walked over to sit at the chair and unlaced her boots while she surveyed them. “Chiz. Wow. _The G-Spot: Myth or Magic?_. _The Gender and Sexuality Worksheet_. _Finding Your Clitoris_.” She was already guffawing and those were just the ones on top. “She was _really_ thorough, huh?” She tilted her head as something occurred to her, “Wait, it was a lady, right?”

“Of course,” Tori said. From the corner of her eye, Jade could tell Tori was watching her. She pulled off one boot just as Tori said, “She kind of reminded me of you a little bit, actually.”

That earned her a raised eyebrow as Jade looked back at her, sprawled across her bed and blushy. “What does _that_ mean?”

Tori shrugged, “Just...she was cool.”

Both of Jade’s boots were now placed next to Tori’s desk as Jade tried to suss out just what Tori was saying about this cool mystery sex woman. “Was she attractive?” she asked, trying to decide if the slight sense of jealousy brewing within her was justified.

“I mean, I guess. She was, like, in her thirties.”

Well, that didn’t mean much. Women that old and older were all over Beck, all the time. Not that Tori was Beck but...well, to be honest, when Jade had processed her feelings about guys hitting on Tori at her birthday, Jade hadn’t even considered that women were also going to be a problem. She sat on the edge of the bed and took a good look at Tori, who didn’t look like she’d gotten much of a pleasurable thrill from this woman. Rather, she looked pained and embarrassed and tired. So, maybe there was nothing to worry about.

Jade moved her hand across the comforter and slipped it over Tori’s. She wanted to comfort her, but she also...well, was Jade and felt the need to poke fun just a little more. “Okay, but seriously did you learn anything?”

“Yeah,” groaned Tori, “I learned to always watch porn with headphones in.” She tugged on their joined hands and Jade allowed herself to be pulled down next to Tori, who immediately tucked herself up against Jade’s shoulder.

“Well, I could have told you that,” mused Jade, securely wrapping her arm around Tori.

“Yeah, you and literally everyone else I’ve talked to about it.” Tori sighed as her palm rested flat against Jade’s stomach. “I’m just...it’s frustrating that I don’t seem to know things that other people my age do.”

“I’m sure you know way more than Cat and Robbie in plenty of areas.”

Tori’s head popped up so she could look at Jade with a hint of contempt. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“Okay, bad example,” Jade admitted. “But...so what? You don’t know about some stuff. I probably learned about a lot of things way too early because my parents let me do whatever I wanted.” She sat up a little. “And, I will say that you’re a damn good kisser. You’re probably an excellent girlfriend, but it’s only been a week, so…”

Tori picked up her pillow and pushed it in Jade’s face. “Thanks. You should be a motivational speaker.”

Jade batted the pillow away. “Maybe I’ll become a cool, hot sex educator.” She urged Tori toward her, offering a few kisses as penance for teasing her. They settled again, with Tori snuggled against her. “But, I do have a really serious question.”

“What?”

“Is the jacuzzi fixed yet?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _The Way_ by Ariana Grande ft Mac Miller.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode:
> 
> Three Girls and a Moose (4.04)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> The rest of the day dragged on, with the next time Tori even able to communicate with Jade was on their ride home. The second they were in the car, Jade released a long, exasperated groan. It was Tori’s instinct to reach for the radio, her usual habit for their drive through the hills, but then she stopped.
> 
> “Can we use the radio?”
> 
> Jade sighed, annoyed. “It’s been invented for like a hundred years.”
> 
> “But aren’t all the signals digital now?” Tori asked.
> 
> Another whiney groan from Jade. “Why did you agree to this?” “We _all_ agreed!” Tori snapped back. They were already irritable and she was worried what a week of this might turn into. They needed something to distract them. “Hey, what about AM radio?”
> 
> “But we’d still have to use this radio to listen to it and it’s probably some newer technology and _oh my god_ , I’m boring myself.” Jade was about to start driving them to the JetBrew, when Tori put her hand up.
> 
> “Wait. Pop the trunk.” “Why?” Jade asked, but Tori was already out of the car.
> 
> The trunk lid popped up and Tori spied the small red backpack that was tucked into the corner. She’d seen it there whenever they’d loaded props or musical gear for different events. Something she hadn’t seen before was a plastic grocery bag with a...bathing suit inside.
> 
> Jade, who had now joined her at the back of the car, pushed her hand away as she peered into the bag. “Excuse me, nosy.”
> 
> “Is that a swimsuit?”
> 
> “Yeah, I’m not playing around about this jacuzzi thing.”
> 
> “I will _tell you_ when they fix it.”
> 
> “Is this what you wanted to do? Fondle my bikini?”
> 
> “No,” though now Tori was distracted thinking about...that. She shook herself out of the momentary daze. “Your emergency kit,” she said, grabbing the bag and unzipping the pockets until she found what she was looking for: a small hand crank radio. “My dad has one of these and…” Tori wound the crank handle several times, making the device whine in her hand. Then she extended the antenna and switched it on, making sure it was set to AM. Static. But a brief scroll with the dial produced the fuzzy, but recognizable sound of jazz music. “See? Music!”
> 
> Jade’s expression suggested she was mildly impressed, which was a good sign.


	5. Una noche más, oh oh, quisiera inventar nuestro amor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one’s for Toronto. If you know, you know.

They’d started another stage project in Sikowitz’s class at the end of the previous week and by Monday the tech crew already had a set put together. Jade had been cast in _Periscope Doom_ , but Tori had not, which meant she and Andre and Beck were supposed to watch the rehearsal and give feedback on the scenes. But early rehearsals were always rough because people weren’t off book and they were still working out the blocking, so Tori had been casually scrolling through SplashFace and sharing funny video links with Andre. Even Beck, who was generally pretty focused, was watching over their shoulders, laughing at a video of two horses--

“Excuse me?” Sikowitz asked. Oh, chiz, he was looking right at them and they were supposed to be paying attention to the scene. Andre tried to explain about the hilarious video, but Sikowitz, who was usually their most laid back teacher at Hollywood Arts, wasn’t having it. “Put your phones away. We are rehearsing a play.” He turned back to face the stage. “Jade, let’s go from your line.”

But Tori knew Jade wasn’t paying attention, because she’d just gotten a text that said:

**Send me that link**

**Sounds hilarious**

“Jade?” Sikowitz repeated.

Jade barely looked up from her phone. “What’s up?”

Sikowitz was about to go into a rant, Tori could tell, but then Andre’s phone rang and he needed to assure his grandma that her bed hadn’t been stolen. And then, because they were all, you know, regular teens with stuff to share with each other, everyone’s phones began to chime and buzz when Robbie sent a funny picture of himself to them all. Okay, it was _little_ distracting but Sikowitz just about lost his mind and accused them all of being addicted to their phones.

“I swear to Pete you can’t go two minutes without,” Sikowitz proceeded to do his impression of everyone on their phones which seemed a little over the top.

“Oh, come on,” said Tori. “I don’t think it’s fair to say we’re _addicted_ to them.”

Sikowitz took that as a challenge, which Robbie momentarily mistook as an offer to fight. Once that was clarified, their teacher said, “I will give each and every one of you all As for the whole semester--” he took a dramatic pause.

“If?” Tori prompted.

“If you can all go one _full week_ without using modern technology,” he finished.

“No phones?” asked Cat.

“No phone and no laptops or PearPads. No electronic device made since I was born!” The theater was quiet. Jade didn’t seem to love the idea from the look on her face. “Want to take that bet?”

Tori glanced around at everyone who, one by one, nodded or shrugged. They could prove they weren’t addicted, right? For all As for the semester? She stood. “Let’s do it,” she said to Sikowitz and shook his hand. He began to collect their phones, Jade being the last one to give hers up and, again, not looking thrilled about it.

But she’d also been thinking this through, because she asked, “How will you know we’re not using other people’s phones?” Jade’s tone suggested she thought maybe she’d found a loophole.

Especially when Sikowitz said, “Because I trust your honesty.” But then, he added, “And I’m going to have Sinjin and Burf spy on you.” What was it with all the spying all the time? And didn’t these guys have better things to do?

They at least made it through the rest of the period with some progress on the play, though it was particularly excruciating to have no form of distraction while Robbie asked what felt like a thousand irrelevant questions about submarines for his character development.

By lunch, everyone was antsy, particularly Jade. Tori knew she was already missing their usual text exchanges, even if they really only ever sent memes to make each other laugh during the school day. At the lunch table, they all tried to act casual, as if not having the one thing that kept them connected to the entire world and everything in it was just no big deal at all.

Everyone coped in their own way. Andre tried to be positive. Jade resorted to being mean about the people around them. Tori pointed out the Hollywood sign, saying it was cool that they could see it from their lunch table. But even she realized that was...not very cool. She was at least able to try and convince Cat that they could do this, that they could make it a week. Until Sinjin ran screaming through the quad about some hilarious donkey video that everyone immediately began to watch and laugh about, leaving their whole lunch table feeling disconnected.

The rest of the day dragged on, leaving Tori unable to communicate with Jade until their drive home. The second they were in the car, Jade released a long, exasperated groan. It was Tori’s instinct to reach for the radio, her usual habit for their drive through the hills, but then she stopped.

“Can we use the radio?”

Jade sighed, annoyed. “It’s been invented for like a hundred years.”

“But aren’t all the signals digital now?” Tori asked.

Another whiney groan from Jade. “Why did you agree to this?”

“We _all_ agreed!” Tori snapped back. They were both already irritable and she was worried what a week of this might turn into. They needed something to distract them. “Hey, what about AM radio?”

“But we’d still have to use this radio to listen to it and it’s probably some newer technology and _oh my god_ , I’m boring myself.” Jade was about to start driving them to the Jet Brew, when Tori put her hand up.

“Wait. Pop the trunk.”

“Why?” Jade asked, but Tori was already out of the car.

The trunk lid raised up and Tori spied the small red backpack that was tucked into the corner. She’d seen it there whenever they’d loaded props or musical gear for different events. Something she hadn’t seen before was a plastic grocery bag with a...bathing suit inside.

Jade, who had now joined her at the back of the car, pushed her hand away as she peered into the bag. “Excuse me, nosy.”

“Is that a swimsuit?”

“Yeah, I’m not playing around about this jacuzzi thing.”

“I will _tell you_ when they fix it.”

“Is this what you wanted to do? Fondle my bikini?”

“No,” though now Tori was distracted thinking about...that. She shook herself out of the momentary daze. “Your emergency kit,” she said, grabbing the bag and unzipping the pockets until she found what she was looking for: a small hand crank radio. “My dad has one of these and…” Tori wound the crank handle several times, making the device whine in her hand. Then she extended the antenna and switched it on, making sure it was set to AM. Static. But a brief scroll with the dial produced the fuzzy, but recognizable sound of jazz music. “See? Music!”

Jade’s expression suggested she was mildly impressed, which was a good sign.

Back in the car, Tori kept having to mess with the antenna to keep the music from dissolving into static. It was at least something to do, though it was driving Jade crazy. When they were in the Jet Brew drive-thru, Tori turned it off, though she went back to cranking it, which made Jade give her the side eye. Fortunately, it was time to order.

“One large black coffee, two sugars and…” Jade looked back at Tori, with a smirk. “Make sure whatever you want is brewed in a way that existed before 1910 or whenever Sikowitz was born.”

“He’s not one-hundred and two,” Tori said.

“Okay, then what year was he born?”

Tori thought about it, then leaned across Jade, putting a purposeful hand on her thigh as she did, “I will also have a large coffee with...four sugars...and cream. Please.” She noted with satisfaction the way Jade’s eyes lingered on her hand as she slowly drew it away.

They approached the window, and Jade turned to her with her mouth parted in sudden realization. “Uhh…”

“What?”

“I don’t have my phone.”

“Yeah, I--oh.” Jade always paid at Jet Brew with her phone app because then she could accrue points. “Uh. Are we even allowed to pay with a card?” Tori didn’t know the history of the debit card.

“Who knows? Do you have any cash?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Give me twenty dollars.”

“The coffee costs like five dollars!”

“Then give me _five_ dollars.”

Tori dug around in her big purse for her small purse for her wallet and looked inside. “I only have a ten.”

“Then give me _ten_ dollars.”

Tori sighed and handed Jade her cash. Jade pulled up to the window, paid, dropped some money in the tip cup and handed the rest back to Tori.

Once they’d successfully acquired coffee, Jade drove Tori home. They stopped in the driveway, eyes lingering on each other, before Jade grabbed Tori by her jacket and brought her in for a kiss.

Jade’s kisses were as exciting as ever, but there was an edge to them this time, a hint of desperation that Tori certainly felt, too. Not being able to text Jade all night was weighing heavily in her mind, and though she’d been eager to take Sikowitz’s bet, she realized she hadn’t really been counting on her evenings at home, unable to communicate with Jade. She kissed her with the urgency of a much longer goodbye than she had originally bargained for, and if the way Jade’s hands grabbed and pulled at her clothing were any indication, Jade was probably considering caving and breaking the rules.

They pulled apart finally, and Tori sighed reluctantly. She had a lot of homework, particularly a history assignment that she hadn’t worked on much on Sunday because of how overwhelmed she’d been by the visit from the sex educator, and now she had to catch up. Jade, too, had a lot to do. Tori supposed that at least she might be more focused and able to finish her homework quickly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said softly, reaching for the door handle reluctantly.

“Yeah,” Jade said, her voice sounding brittle. “Bye.”

This was ridiculous. Tori intellectually knew it shouldn’t be so hard to not text all night. But she felt a distinct heaviness in her chest as she stepped out of Jade’s car and waved at her from the doorway as she drove away.

She trudged up to her room to put her bag away and had to stop herself from automatically opening her PearBook. She tucked it inside her dresser, under some clothes, so she wouldn’t be tempted. She sat at her desk, eyes falling to the pamphlets Patrice had left for her. Curiously, she picked one up. _The Gender and Sexuality Worksheet_. Maybe this would be a good place to start to figure out her identity.

Tori was in the middle of reading about the Genderbread Person exercise, which encouraged people to think of biological sex, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation as spectrums and assess where they fell on them, when Trina knocked on the bathroom door, then opened it. That was an improvement, but it still meant Tori was being interrupted.

“Yes, what?” Tori asked, trying to finish the sentence she was looking at.

“What are you doing?” Trina asked, her tone accusatory. “ _Reading_ porn?”

Tori lowered the paper she was trying to focus on. “Is it literally impossible for you to leave me alone?”

Apparently, it was, because Trina went ahead and barged into the room to scoop up a few of the pamphlets. “What is this?” Then she gasped. “It _is_ porn! I’m telling Mom.”

“Would you grow up? It’s from the sex educator that Mom _hired_ to talk to me.” Tori realized Trina hadn’t been home on Sunday afternoon, so maybe she wasn’t clued in. You know, more so than usual.

Trina scrunched up her face in disbelief. “She did not.”

“Oh, yeah, she did. This woman came over and I had to sit with her for an entire hour.”

Suddenly interested beyond just being a nosy pain-in-the-butt, Trina leaned against Tori’s desk. “What did she say?”

Tori gestured to the pamphlets. “Stuff about this!”

Trina glanced down at some of the other literature. “Can I borrow--”

Tori snatched it out of her hand. “I had to be mortified to death, so I get to read it all first!”

“Fine. Chiz. I’ll leave you to your weird sex manuals.” Trina pushed off and moved toward the bathroom.

Even though she was back to being alone, there was no way Tori could concentrate in her bedroom, so she lugged all her books downstairs to the kitchen table. She’d hoped her mother might assist her with some of the World History homework (it was harder to find answers when you couldn’t just drop the questions into a search bar), but her mom was engaged in some text conversation on her own phone and it was distracting. To top it off, Cat showed up, unannounced, wielding a cell phone dog toy she was pretending was an actual cell phone. It was an absurd idea, but Tori found herself wanting to hold it, just for the sense memory. Holly suggested they cheat and use her phone, saying that Sikowitz wouldn’t know, but Tori pointed out Sinjin staked out in their backyard...possibly peeing in their bushes? Gross.

Cat didn’t stay long because her brother had just been visiting someone up the street. Tori wondered just what kind of neighbor she had that was friends with Cat’s brother. She still needed to finish her assignment, but she desperately missed connecting with Jade.

“Do we have a phone?” Tori asked. “Like, an old one?”

“There’s a landline in the garage,” Holly said, most of her attention on her text conversation.

That’s right! Tori bounded down the steps into the garage, hitting the garage door opener switch on the wall so it would turn on the overhead light. She tapped it again before it finished, leaving the door in a half-raised position. Across the space, next to her dad’s treadmill, was a black, bulky looking telephone. Tori studied the face of it, noting the push buttons and the small Caller ID screen. Was it old enough to use? Also, did she even have Jade’s home number? She tried to remember if the student contact sheets they always filled out at the beginning of the school year included home phone numbers.

Headlights shone briefly underneath the half-open garage door, but the garage didn’t open further, meaning it wasn’t her dad. Tori hit the switch, allowing the door to fully raise. It was Jade’s car in the driveway and Jade was standing in front of her.

“I was just about to call you," Tori said.

“What? How?”

Tori pointed to the phone on the wall. “Except then I wasn’t sure if I even have a number for you.” She realized something else, “I don’t even know your actual _cell phone_ number.” She waved Jade into the garage. “What are you even doing here?”

“Well, I was at home, hating my life. Then I did some homework. Then I realized I can’t watch any movies and instead of crying myself to sleep, I thought of something that’s been around a long time and doesn’t require any modern technology.”

“What?”

“Can you get away for a little bit? Maybe an hour?”

Tori nodded, “Yeah, I think so.” She ran back up the stairs and popped her head around the corner to the kitchen. “Mom, is it okay if I go somewhere with Jade for a little while? I’ll be back in time to finish my homework.”

“Sure, honey,” Holly said, still texting. “Just be back in time to finish your homework.”

Tori rolled her eyes but said, “Thank you!” and returned to the garage. “Do I need anything?” she asked Jade.

“Nope,” Jade said, taking her hand and leading her toward the car.

-

Jade drove through the winding, narrow streets of the Hollywood Hills. She had the hand-crank radio going, maneuvered to fit into the dashboard clip that normally held her cell phone. Tori had noticed it when she got in the car, but Jade insisted she not touch it. It lasted a while on several seconds of vigorous cranking, and Jade had the antenna placed perfectly so that the Spanish language station was coming through loud and clear. It was actually the best option if they were limited to AM radio, ranging from grand and operatic to upbeat and dancey, with anything in between just making Jade feel like she was out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

Tori seemed to enjoy the radio, wiggling in her seat to a particularly pop-ish number. It was honestly kind of distracting, but Jade focused on the road until they made it to the overlook over the city, the same one they’d visited just over a week ago where they’d officially become girlfriends.

Jade pulled the car in and parked. Tori had been looking out at the city through the windshield, but then turned to smile at Jade. “This was a great idea.”

Shrugging, Jade said, “I figured teenage couples and cars were an age old thing.” She turned off the car, kind of liking that, of course, the hand-crank radio continued its epic love ballad (at least, Jade’s loose Southern California understanding of the Spanish language assumed it was a love ballad). She opened her door, and Tori followed suit.

“Are we--oh,” Tori said, watching as Jade opened the door to the backseat. She quickly moved to do the same, though since her side was locked, Jade had to reach across the seat to unlock it for her.

Tori slid into the backseat, tucking herself under Jade’s waiting arm. She leaned her head against her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck. Jade held her, enjoying the intimacy of the moment, and when Tori began kissing her neck, she let out her breath in a satisfied exhale. Mostly, she just wanted to be _close to_ Tori. It had hurt feeling so disconnected from her, and that felt crazy and stupid to actually consider, but it was true. But it would be a lie to say she didn’t also want to get a little physical with her in the backseat of her car. That was, of course, part of the point.

She let her other hand raise to Tori’s chin, gently urging her to lift her head so that Jade could kiss her. She felt Tori’s body turn into her, her arm wrapping around Jade, settling on her ribs. The music on the radio seemed to swell as Tori whimpered and pushed closer, Jade’s hand on her jaw, slow kisses growing deeper, more heated. Jade sat forward a little, trying to match Tori’s intensity, and felt Tori’s arm slide further around her body, fingers tugging at the fabric of Jade’s dress.

Jade lifted her mouth away from Tori’s. “Wait a second.”

“Hmm?” Tori asked, looking a little dazed.

Jade moved her hand to Tori’s shoulder and pushed firmly, so that Tori was sitting back against the seat, “Stay,” Jade instructed firmly.

“Why--” Tori lost her voice as Jade swung her leg over Tori’s lap to straddle her. She watched Tori’s eyes go wide and her mouth part as she focused on Jade’s cleavage, right in front of her face.

Tori groaned and face-planted, gently, right onto Jade’s breasts, the rest of the sound from her mouth muffled against them.

“Come on,” Jade smirked, “I know you’re not narcoleptic.”

“Right now I am,” was Tori’s barely comprehensible reply. There was another soft moan, and then Jade felt Tori nuzzling the cleavage in front of her.

Jade wrapped her arm around Tori’s shoulders, encouraging her attention. Tori’s mouth was soft and exceedingly gentle as it moved over Jade’s flesh, running over the lace edge of Jade’s dress at its low neckline and above it to her bare skin. Tori’s hands were gripping Jade’s lower back, at her belt, but soon they were moving, one running up and down her back and the other circling around her body.

Jade leaned into Tori, just a little, letting her breasts press into Tori’s face. One of Tori’s hands was running up her side, fingers leaving a pleasant rush of sensation in their wake, and then the hand was curving over Jade’s breast. She kissed the top of Tori’s head, burying her fingers in Tori’s hair, and closing her eyes, focusing on the sensation of Tori’s soft attention, her face and hand warm and tender in their attention.

Straddling someone in the back of a car was, in Jade’s experience, a surefire way for things to get heated very fast. But she’d also made the decision to help her keep control of the situation. On Tori’s lap, the way she was, moving her hips produced only the subtlest sensations. She knew she would be giving Tori a treat by giving her such generous access to her breasts, but she hadn’t expected Tori to be so _reverent_ with them. She supposed she was a bit accustomed to rough, grabbing boy-hands, but Tori’s gentle attention was awakening a slow, spreading pleasure that spiraled down her spine, coalescing low in her guts.

Tori lifted her face, finally, and Jade kissed her, immediately sinking into deep, slow, passionate kisses that made a hum of pleasure rise in Jade’s throat. She lifted and lowered her hips, slowly, less about seeking any kind of contact, though she was keenly aware just how exposed she _could_ be, in her dress and tights, and more about changing the angle of their kisses. She let her hand fall past Tori’s shoulder to gently caress her breast, feeling the hitch of her breath in their kisses.

Both of Tori’s hands were on Jade’s breasts now, and as Jade rose in her lap to bring them closer to her, Tori let her eyes fall to the cleavage in front of her again. This time, Jade felt her fingers running over her nipples through her clothes, and noticed as Tori pulled the fabric of Jade’s dress down carefully, giving her lips more access to the swell of her cleavage, and those delicate kisses continued, making Jade’s legs feel weak and watery and like she was very glad she was already on Tori’s lap and not trying to move them.

Jade wrapped her arms around Tori again, holding her and letting her get enveloped by her cleavage. She felt Tori’s hands running over her back, her sides, her arms, her thighs, the motion becoming almost frenzied. Until finally, with a groan, Tori wrapped her arms around Jade and leaned, toppling them over and pulling her down onto the seat. “Jade!” she whined. “I can’t touch any of your actual _skin_ with you in that dress.”

Untangling herself from Tori, Jade sat up and moved closer to her again, “Except here, right?” she asked, running her hand along her chest.

“Well, yeah,” Tori was blushing, “But I like being able to touch you other...places....”

“Sorry about that. It’s Monday. Felt like a funereal kind of occasion. Which, I was right because RIP, our phones.” Indeed, her black dress did cover basically her whole body, in stark contrast to Tori in her jeans, sneakers, and American flag t-shirt. “You’re the one dressed for the Fourth of July.”

“I like this shirt.”

“I think it’s cute the way you only wear shirts about places you’ve been,” Jade said, plucking at the v-neck of the top in question.

“That’s not _all_ I wear,” Tori pouted.

“Don’t get too broody on me, I still have one more thing I wanted to do.”

“Yeah?” Tori perked up.

“But it’s not back here, so keep it in your pants.” Jade leaned in and pressed another kiss to her lips, before pulling back and climbing halfway back into the front seat, hitting the buttons to roll down the windows and then reaching further for the switch to pop open the trunk. It was an awkward maneuver and Jade ended up needing Tori to pull her back, which only led to them tangled back up in each other and kissing again.

“I thought you had something to show me?” Tori finally asked.

“Come on,” Jade said, leading her out of the car and retrieving a blanket from the trunk which she spread out on the hood and gestured for Tori to sit with her on it.

“Really?” Tori said, looking at the car, then out at the view in front of them.

“Yeah...I thought it would be…” Jade had imagined it would be, well, romantic, if she had to put a word to it. “Is it too corny?”

Tori shook her head and climbed up to sit next to Jade. “It’s perfect,” she said.

They sat there for a while, a few songs rotating through the radio station, arms around each other as they looked out at the glimmering lights of Los Angeles. Yeah, okay. She was right. It was, well, romantic.

-

For her entire life, Tori’s family had lived in the Hollywood Hills, in the same house they lived in now. They had a pretty cool view of the city from their kitchen and living room, so Tori had never really thought about what it might be like to spend time at the overlook like this. There were a few famous spots to park throughout the hills, but she’d never really spent time at any of them until Jade brought her here to this same spot a couple weeks ago (though, they were decidedly less interested in the view on that night) and then again tonight.

She loved it, especially sharing it with Jade, each of them occasionally pointing at an area and trying to figure out if it was where Nozu was or if they could see their school from where they were. Jade’s head was on her shoulder, the air was still, the road was quiet with only the tinny radio playing from inside the car. Tori felt a swell of emotion she couldn’t quite describe, like overwhelming happiness, but radiating from somewhere deeper within her.

“Hey,” Tori said, gently nudging Jade with her shoulder.

“Hmm?”

“Dance with me.”

“What?”

“Come on.” Tori slid off the hood and stood in front of Jade. “Dance with me.” She wriggled her shoulders at her.

“Not if you’re planning to dance like that,” Jade said.

Tori held out her hand, back straight, feet together, as if they were at some kind of formal dance. She leaned forward. “Would the lady care to dance?”

Jade fought a smile and chewed on her bottom lip before saying, “Fine, yes. I accept.” She dropped her hand into Tori’s and allowed herself to be guided down off the car.

At first, Tori tried to match the mood of the current song, trying her best to remember the salsa lessons she took in junior high, but it was hopeless. At least Jade was laughing as they tripped over each other.

“If there’s going to be choreography, we should practice next time.”

“I wish I had my moustache. I feel like it would help.”

“You’re _not_ bringing that back.”

“Okay, then maybe something less complicated,” Tori said, pulling Jade in close so they could just sway together.

They stayed that way for a while, leaning into each other, enjoying the moment. Eventually, because it always seemed to come back around to kissing when they were alone for long enough, Jade nudged her nose against Tori’s, then brushed their lips together. They traded light, affectionate kisses against the backdrop of the city, Tori doing her best not to knock her sneakers into Jade’s boots. The soundtrack of the night had switched to something more dramatic, making the moment feel even more epic, as if they were characters in an old movie.

She knew enough Spanish to understand most of the lyrics to the songs that had been playing. Her dad’s parents had spoken the language around their home when they’d visited, but it wasn’t something that her family practiced with any regularity. But she could tell this song, the one they were moving to, was about a deep love and she wondered if Jade knew just what “ _eres mi luna, eres mi sol, eres mi noche de amor_ ” actually meant as they danced along to it under the night sky.

Finally, the music gave over to an ad, breaking the spell. Tori pressed a kiss to Jade’s cheek before releasing her and taking a deep bow. “Thank you for the dance,” she said in a voice that was as much Walter as she could muster without the facial hair.

“You’re ridiculous,” Jade said, already reaching for her hand and pulling her back in. “But I like it.”

Again, more waves of happiness fluttered through Tori. She wanted to stay up on that overlook for the rest of the night. Who needed phones, anyway? Though, that reminded her of reality. She was out without any way for her parents to reach her and hadn’t specifically said where she was going. It felt freeing, but it was also a little scary. The night, as it was, probably needed to end. But maybe tomorrow could bring something that made Tori feel as weightless and free as she felt right now. If Jade had anything to do with it, the chances seemed pretty friggin’ good.

When Jade dropped Tori off, the garage was closed and Tori realized she hadn’t brought her keys or anything with her.

“Can you get in?” Jade asked.

It wasn’t even nine, so everyone in the house should still be awake. “Will you wait to make sure?”

“Nah, I figured I’d just let Sinjin keep an eye on you.”

Tori frowned and looked in every direction out the car windows. “You don’t think he’s still here, do you?”

“I hope not. Who would he be watching? Trina?” Jade shivered.

Tori pulled her in for one final goodnight kiss, then jogged up the driveway to the front door. On the off chance it was unlocked, she went ahead and tried the handle. It didn’t budge. She rang the bell and waited. After what felt like way too long, the door finally opened.

It was Trina. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I got locked out.”

“Weirdo.”

Tori realized Jade couldn’t quite see her from where she stood at the doorway, so she walked down just far enough to give her a wave, then came back to the door just in time for Trina to close it in her face. “ _Trina_!” At least it was unlocked.

Her homework was still spread across the kitchen table, so she picked back up where she left off, finally finishing her assignment about twenty minutes later. As she packed up her books and papers, she found herself humming that last song she’d danced to with Jade. At the time, she’d just processed that it was vaguely familiar, but it was definitely something she’d heard before, probably when visiting her Grandpa Vega. When she was younger, he always had old cassette tapes he played in his car.

“Hey, honey,” her dad said, coming down the stairs. “Mom says you had quite the night trying to do your homework.”

“It’s terrible!” Tori flailed. “How are you supposed to find anything without a search function?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s so hard with all the thinking and reading.”

“Dad!”

“You kids have all this access to stuff you don’t appreciate. Not everything needs an instant answer.” He was starting to sound a lot like Sikowitz.

“Oh, like you and mom don’t use your phones for everything, too.”

“Yes, but we grew up with things like library card catalogs and having to wait to hear certain songs on the radio. Some stuff you just have to commit to memory.”

That reminded Tori about the song she was trying to place. “Hey, Grandpa played a lot of his music around you when you were a kid, right?”

“All the time.”

“Do you remember one that goes…” Tori took a second to remember the melody, then hummed it. “I know the chorus is like ‘ _Yo te adoro_ ’ but I can’t remember the rest other than a part about the moon and the sun and the night.”

David nodded. “Sounds familiar.” He pulled out his phone and began to search, then stopped himself.

Tori noticed and raised her eyebrows. “You don’t have it committed to memory?” she asked.

He deliberately set his phone on the counter. “I’ll think about it and see what I can come up with.”

Tori carried her books up to her room and started getting ready for bed. She was still energized from the trip to the overlook and all she wanted to do was text Jade.

-

Jade, meanwhile, was doing her best not to lose her grip on reality. One of the reasons, beyond wanting to spend more time with Tori, for getting out of the house earlier had been to avoid all of the din and chaos of her little brother playing video games way too loudly on the living room flatscreen. Another had been to avoid her mother, because Jade wasn’t able to hide behind her computer or her phone. She wasn’t even able to use the excuse of watching a movie because everything was on DVD or BluRay and none of that had been invented in 1950 or whenever Sikowitz was born.

When she returned home (after taking the long way, just to kill more time), her brother was in bed, but now it was her mother sitting on the living room couch, watching some terrible reality show. Jade tried to push right through the room without a conversation, but her mom lowered the volume on the tv and said, “Jade?”

“What?” Jade asked, still debating making a break for her bedroom.

“I want to talk to you.”

Jade’s shoulders drooped and her head flung back as she groaned. “Why?” she asked, trudging back toward the couch where her mother sat. She eyed the television. “I can’t watch that,” she said. “I’m not allowed to use any electronics for one week. It’s for school.”

“Really?” said her mother, picking up the remote and clicking off the television. “That’s a fascinating assignment.”

Jade wanted to correct her, to say that it wasn’t an _assignment_ , but then she’d have to explain even more and she didn’t want to do that. “You wanted to talk to me?” she asked, impatiently.

“I haven’t seen Beck around lately. Is everything okay?”

Lately? “Mom, we broke up like three months ago. I told you.”

She stared at her mother, thinking about the time Beck pointed out just how much he thought they looked alike. He wasn’t technically wrong. Jade’s blue-green eyes and the shape of her face definitely matched Tiffany West to the point that younger pictures of Jade could easily be mistaken for photos of her mother. That was part of why she’d started dying her hair black to contrast her mom’s bottle-blonde look. Though the jet-black was kind of extreme and difficult to keep up, so she’d eased up a little to dark brown while, of course, keeping her now-signature streaks. It was funny, Jade had looked up Patrice Kline on Sunday night, wondering just what it was about this other woman that Tori found attractive (because she obviously had some kind of a little crush on her or something, just from the way Tori had spoken about her). Patrice did look cool, as Tori described, with a kind of rock-and-roll aesthetic with dark eyeliner and tattoos that seemed natural for her, not like she was trying too hard to maintain a certain image. She could see what Tori meant about the comparison between Jade and Patrice. It was definitely more appealing than ending up like her mother.

Which, right. Her mom was trying to have _a talk_.

“You two break up all the time, I just assumed…” said Tiffany.

“Well, it was for good, this time.” Jade had considered telling her mom about Tori a few times. Like, her mom knew Tori existed, obviously, but she didn’t know they were dating.

“Are you sure? Maybe he’ll--”

Jade cut her off. “Mom, it’s over. It’s _been_ over. I’m not sad about it.”

“Oh,” Tiffany nodded, possibly realizing she was rehashing old news. “It’s difficult to know with you.”

“That’s how I like it.”

“You don’t always have to keep me in the dark, you know. It feels like I always have to go looking on The Slapper if I want to know what’s going on with you.”

“The Slap,” Jade corrected. “And it’s not like I can update it right now,” she realized. “I can’t even look at it to know what anyone’s doing.”

There was a silence between them and Jade was about to bring up the excuse of non-existent homework when her mom actually said something interesting. “Is it against the rules of your assignment if I read The Slapper--er, Slap, _to_ you?”

Every once in a while, there were moments when her mom said something like this, something that reminded Jade of just how similar they could be. “I...guess not?” Jade slid down onto the couch, sitting against the arm of it.

Tiffany smiled and tapped on the screen of her PearPhone. “Okay, _The Slap_ dot com,” she said, pointedly. “Oh, there’s so many people. I guess I just go to your page?”

Jade immediately realized why this was probably the worst idea in the entirety of the universe. “You know what? I actually shouldn’t be--”

“Okay, here. Jade’s profile. Your last update says, ‘The event that shall not be named was actually a success.’ Oh, that’s fun. Was that a show you did?”

“No. It was a fundraiser. It’s not important. I actually have home--” She started to push up off the couch, but then she heard her mom move on to the next part of the profile. The relationship section.

“It says you’re still in a relationship...oh, but with...Tori Vega?”

Jade felt like she was drowning. She did _not_ want to have this conversation with her mother. She didn’t want to have _any_ conversations with her mother. It was why she avoided her. There was no precedent to how this might go because they’d barely talked about Beck, let alone, like, sexual identity or anything. She sighed and sat back down. Might as well just get it over with. “Yeah. She’s my girlfriend.”

“Isn’t that…” Tiffany still stared at the phone. “Isn’t she the one you did the astronaut play with?”

“Yes.” Jade’s mom actually did come to most of her shows, but Jade always made her swear not to speak to her friends.

“And she helped you put up your play, right?”

“Yes.”

“She seems nice.” Her mom was now obviously scrolling through The Slap, just for herself. “And she’s so pretty.”

After several seconds of silence, Jade finally stood. “I’m going to my room.” She wasn’t sure what she’d do when she got there, maybe stare at the walls. But it would be more tolerable than whatever was happening right now.

-

Ugh, this was the worst. It would be nearly ten whole hours before Jade picked her up for school in the morning. That was almost half of an entire day. How was she supposed to go that long without talking to her friends, let alone her _girlfriend_. Just thinking about their relationship status gave Tori butterflies.

The coffee had been hours ago, but it almost felt like she was still buzzing on it. More likely, though, she was buzzing on her evening, on Jade straddling her lap to kiss her, on a facefull of epic bosom, on gazing over the city, listening to love ballads in Spanish, swaying and kissing in the balmy night air, under a smudgy sky of obscured stars.

She wanted to text Jade, but she also wanted to put out into the world the feelings that part of the night had produced in her. The excitement, the contentedness, the feeling of elation that swelled whenever Jade laughed, or moaned in her throat, or danced with her all silly before falling into holding each other and basking in a moment that felt entirely theirs, no phones to interrupt them. She wished she could just update The Slap to say she was really happy, or that she had a magical night with her girlfriend, or just _something_ to record how she was feeling. She wanted to be able to remember this moment, to record it somehow, to let out all the fluttery feelings in her chest and stomach, putting them into words to make them real.

She realized, somewhat reluctantly, that she could hand write them, but where? And then she remembered the journal.

Every year, her Grandma Jean (her mom’s mom) gave her a pretty leather bound journal, with dated pages so you could write in it every day. She apparently did something similar, recording her day every evening, and she swore by it, and insisted that Tori and Trina would find it a useful practice. Tori liked the idea in theory, but she never used the journals. The world was digital now; what good was something scrawled by hand where you couldn’t even tag the entries so you could find them later?

But what other choice did she have? She searched around in her closet until she found the most recent journal from this past Christmas, and flipped until she found the day’s date. It was hard to even be sure she had the date right without looking at her phone, but she knew it was a Monday, so that helped confirm it with the day printed in the journal.

She sat at her desk and poked around for the right pen to use, finally settling on a dark purple gel pen. Okay, how was she supposed to start? _Dear diary_? Did anyone really do that? Maybe she should just start with whatever she’d post on The Slap.

**Had an amazing date out under the stars! @JadeWest**

**FEELING: Dancey**

It literally took up two tiny lines and had taken thirty seconds. If this was meant to be a way to pass the time, she needed a lot more. She tapped the pen against her desk as she closed her eyes and pictured the view, imagined the sound of the radio, and remembered as best she could what it was like to hold Jade in her arms up above the vast expanse of the Los Angeles city lights.

**Tonight, Jade took me up to the Mulholland overlook. We can’t use our phones, so she thought it would be fun to spend some time looking at the city and...doing some other stuff.**

Tori wasn’t about to write about anything sexy. She did still live with the nosiest big sister of all time, after all.

**It’s the same place she took me when she asked me to be her girlfriend, so it’s special and I kind of really love that we have a place like that. Jade acts like she’s harsh and grumpy a lot of the time, but she’s really thoughtful and romantic. She brought a blanket so we could sit on the car and look at the city lights, which I’ve never done before. I’d also never asked anyone to dance with me, like in an old-timey way, which I did tonight. We couldn’t use the radio in Jade’s car so we had to listen to music in Spanish on an old-fashioned style radio with an antenna, which maybe sounds weird but it was perfect. I kind of wanted to impress her with some good dance moves, but I couldn’t really pull it together in the moment, so we just slow-danced.**

She gave herself a moment to reflect on the memory. It had only just happened earlier that evening, but now Tori was obsessed with wanting to remember every detail. About the night. About Jade. About how she felt.

**I’ve never had feelings for anyone the way I do for Jade. She’s the first person I want to text when I start my day and the last person I want to text before I go to sleep. That’s what’s driving me crazy right now, we can’t use our phones or computers or anything all week. How did people do this before PearPhones and digital cameras and stuff? I never want to forget tonight, which is why I’m writing all this down here. I hope it works.**

Tori was running out of room for much more, because the next page was already marked with tomorrow’s date. Weird, so you were supposed to pour all your feelings into exactly one entry space? There was really only one full line left, so Tori just wrote.

**Tori + Jade**

It was kind of cool to have actually sat down and done something like this. Maybe she’d take up her grandma’s advice and journal more often. She closed the book and slid it into the drawer, on top of her PearPad.

At least now she was kind of tired and she could sleep away most of the hours before the morning. She sighed when she finally slid under her covers, wondering if it was too weird to try and send Jade a psychic text to say goodnight.

She decided she didn’t care and did it, anyway.

-

Jade managed to kill twenty minutes digging through her closet, looking through boxes of props from her short films for anything that might be interesting enough to occupy her time. Most of it was stuff like costume pieces or prop weapons, but she did re-discover something that might actually be useful: A fancy stationery kit, complete with sealing wax. A little more digging found the actual wood-handled stamp.

She cleared off her desk, shoving her external harddrive aside since she wouldn’t be needing that for a week, and set up the pieces of the stationery kit. For effect, she lit a few candles and lined them along the back of the desk. Yeah, she was allowed to use regular lights, but what fun was that? If she was doing this, she was _doing this_. That kept her occupied for the better part of an hour, but the reality of writing by candlelight was that it hurt her eyes, so she finally blew out the candles and turned on the lamp by her bed. She surveyed the small stack of envelopes, the letters inside mostly containing directives and threats, the red wax seals on the backs of the envelopes looking kind of a lot like blood. Yeah, actually that felt like a worthwhile use of her time.

It was getting late, but even after pouring her energy into her project, Jade was still awake. Still, it wasn’t as if there was anything else to do, so she got ready for bed, doing all of her regular evening ritual except for the newer part where she texted Tori. She changed out of her dress, and found the t-shirt she’d borrowed from Tori, the night of the Platinum Music Awards, and pulled it on. Even though it had been worn and washed several times since, Jade swore it still smelled like Tori’s shampoo somehow. She slid between her sheets, settling down for the night.

Sleep wasn’t coming. Her mind was too busy, active. She should’ve found a book or something to read in bed, but now that she was lying down, she didn’t want to get up. Still, something to occupy her mind usually helped her fall asleep. If she could use her PearBook, she’d probably turn on a movie or something, but she was in luddite hell right now. Or maybe it was Amish paradise. She’d have to ask Tori, the girl who carried around Weird Al’s signature in her jacket pocket.

Her thoughts drifted to Tori. They hadn’t been far from her all evening, truth be told. Having her mother discover they were girlfriends had thrown Jade off; she had no idea how she’d wanted that conversation to go, but that probably wasn’t it. And Tori was definitely on her mind as she did her fancy stationery project. Doing something creative was sometimes how Jade processed her feelings, and this definitely qualified.

Her romantic rendezvous on the Mulholland overlook had gone better than she could have anticipated, and that meant something to her. Actually, it meant a lot to her. And though the kissing and touching in the car had been wonderful and exciting, it wasn’t where Jade’s thoughts were lingering.

She kept thinking of Tori’s ridiculous invitation to dance with her, starting with the silly shoulder wiggles and then with the very formal, chivalrous request. How much fun it had been to knock into each other, failing to find rhythm, until they held each other and swayed and found comfort in the alignment of their bodies, found harmony in their movements. How it had felt to sit with her, listening to the bold, ardent music coming from the little radio as they surveyed the city, pointing out all the places they’d been together, and thinking about all the places they’d like to go.

Big feelings were kind of how Jade operated a lot of the time, though she typically only displayed the ones on a certain end of the spectrum. Other big feelings were intimidating, private, difficult to acknowledge. But in the dark of her bedroom, with no bright screens to distract her, those big feelings were very present.

Jade didn’t think she was ready to share them, but she thought she was ready to explore them, alone. Especially since they clearly would not be ignored, with sensations like champagne filling her chest, like heat lightning all over her skin, like the urge to squeeze herself into a tight ball to keep from screaming, or crying, or laughing, or _she didn’t know what_.

When Jade finally fell asleep, wishing she could text Tori goodnight, just to feel tethered to her in some small way, she slept deeply.

-

Jade picked her up for school in the morning, actually coming to knock on the door since she couldn’t just text that she was here. And without the convenient clock on her phone, Tori had been searching for ways to tell time all morning, which had really messed with her routine. The clock on the microwave was slow, the one on the wall in the garage was fast, and running upstairs to look at her alarm clock was exhausting. She’d had to dig her old alarm clock out of the depths of her closet, after her dad assured her that those definitely existed when he was a kid. She figured she’d have to trust him, because she wasn’t bribing Trina to wake her up. So she’d set her alarm clock to wake her up to the Spanish language AM radio station. It had been a very pleasant way to wake.

When she answered Jade’s knock, she was just about ready, so she invited her in for a moment while she ran upstairs to put her bag together. It only took a few minutes, but by the time she made it back downstairs, Trina was talking to Jade.

Oh, no. This couldn’t be good.

“So then _why_ won’t Beck go out with me?” Trina whined.

“I don’t know why you’re asking me,” Jade replied through gritted teeth.

“Oh, please. I know you’ve poisoned him against me.”

“I didn’t have to. He has eyes and ears.”

Trina made an offended gasp, and spun on Tori, “Your _girlfriend_ \--”

Tori held up her hands, “My _girlfriend_ doesn’t need you harassing her about her ex-boyfriend! If Beck liked you, he’d go out with you. It has nothing to do with either of us.”

“What _ever_ ,” Trina scowled, stomping up the stairs.

Jade watched her go with distaste, but then turned a smile to Tori, “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. I only spent fifteen seconds looking for my PearPhone before I remembered,” she sighed. It had sunken in ages ago that she didn’t have access to her technology, but her automatic routine had overpowered her brain for a moment.

They kissed good morning briefly in the driveway before Jade switched on the hand crank radio and they drove to school. Tori rested her arm on the center console, and at stoplights, Jade reached over to take her hand, even if it was for just a moment. It made Tori feel warm, and strangely eager to face her technologically bereft day.

Tori stole a kiss at Jade’s locker before they went their separate ways for first period. At least maybe she’d do better in classes, without the temptation of checking her phone. Maybe.

As she walked through the halls to her locker after class, she noticed a few students at their lockers holding really formal-looking stationery. Burf looked distinctly unsettled as he read his, Robbie looked embarrassed. Cat was giggling maniacally as she read hers (her other hand still held her squeaky dog toy cell phone). Sinjin looked a little disturbed. Andre was just examining his envelope when Tori got to her locker.

Was this some kind of school-wide event? It almost felt like a weird Valentine’s day kind of thing, except that no one was reacting in a way that made sense, and obviously they were in the wrong month. Maybe it was a murder mystery? Tori wondered if she would get an envelope, because only a handful of people seemed to.

Apprehensively, she opened her locker, and found hanging there a beautiful envelope with a red wax seal, like something straight out of Harry Potter. She picked it up carefully, seeing _**Tori**_ in gorgeous lettering on the front. For a strange, wild moment, she remembered that truly bizarre dream she’d had, the one where she’d been pulled through her own locker to the backseat of Jade’s car, and she discreetly pinched herself, just to ensure she was, in fact, awake.

She broke the seal, trying to be as delicate with it as she could, and extracted the letter. She was just about to open it when she heard Andre’s voice.

“Is this...is this dickbutt? Who drew this dickbutt?! What does it mean?! What does it _mean_?!” He dashed past her down the hall, holding up his fancy stationery, and yep, Tori could see an equally fancy dickbutt meme, hand drawn on his sheet of paper.

More confused than ever, she opened her letter. Her heart sank as she saw the title.

_**Stuff I Hate** _

This didn’t look like a murder mystery, or a fun school-wide art installation at all. She thought briefly of the videos that Jade used to post on The Slap just as she continued to read, her smile growing with each line.

_**Not being able to text you** _

**_Not being able to send you memes_ **

**_Missing you_ **

**_Not being in your jacuzzi (IS IT FIXED YET?)_ **

**_Trina breaking your jacuzzi_ **

**_Trina walking in on us (WHY)_ **

**_Trina_ **

**< 3 Jade**

Her fingers absently traced the last line, as if they might be able to verify that it was real. This felt like a dream, not the bizarre kind with the multiple Jades, but one where there was a single Jade out there who had hand-written a list like this for Tori. Only she was wide awake and this was real life. She grinned to herself and tucked the letter into her bag, wanting to keep it close to her for the rest of the day. Because, despite the ethereal feeling the note gave her, she still had to go to class.

Tori and Cat were the first to arrive in the black box. Without her phone to pass the time, Tori was pacing, reflecting on the fact that she hadn’t been able to text Jade about the sweet note. Meanwhile, Cat was squeaking away on her dog toy phone.

“Who are you pretending to text?” Tori asked.

“My brother,” Cat replied.

“Can I pretend to text him?” asked Tori, reaching for the toy phone. Cat reluctantly gave it up and Tori’s thumbs immediately began to move like they had their very own sense memory of what it was like to text. Great, now she could send a pretend text to Jade, telling her she’d really loved the--

“I can’t take it! I can’t take this!” But here was Jade, in person. Burf tried to approach her, but she screamed, “Down!” and he hit the floor.

“What’s your problem?” Tori asked, her thumbs still working away at a fake text to the actual person in front of her.

Jade was visibly infuriated, which was a default for her, but Tori figured there was something very specific about whatever was happening. “Do you know what they’re showing live, right now, on FunnyDanger.com?”

“What?” asked Cat.

“A roller coaster got stuck at Mystic Mountain and there’s an old lady hanging upside down from it.”

“Oh my gosh,” said Tori. This sounded serious. “Is it someone you know?”

“No,” Jade looked almost disappointed with Tori. “It’s someone I want to _laugh at_.” Oh, that’s right. This was her girlfriend. The sadist. “But I can’t watch the stupid video because of our stupid bet with Sikowitz.”

Yes, it was disturbing that Jade found pleasure in things like this, but Tori was truly impressed at Jade’s dedication to actually stick with the challenge when there was something readily available for the taking that clearly appealed to her bizarre tastes. Speaking of the challenge, Sikowitz entered the theater with the box of phones, ready to start rehearsal. But when Beck showed up, covered in raw egg with scratches on his face because some girl was mad at him for not texting her back, the topic of how much they relied on their phones came back up, leading the teacher to playfully invite them to take their PearPhones back.

Cat cracked. She ran, screaming for the box and everyone scrambled to grab her and hold her back, but Cat was like a wild animal, kicking and clawing at everyone. Tori watched Jade take a kick square in the stomach and Tori herself was flung aside twice before the group finally subdued her.

The boys started complaining that the girls were going to bring them down, despite Jade pointing out that they all were desperate to use technology, so Sikowitz offered to change the bet. Now it would be Boys vs. Girls.

Tori had at least remembered to ask Sikowitz about home phones, ones plugged into the wall, trying to describe as best she could the one in the garage at home only to have him stroke his beard and finally declare that any landlines were acceptable. Jade was across the room, on stage, working on blocking with Cat, so Tori had assumed she hadn’t heard any of it. But then at the lunch table, Jade grabbed her arm and began writing something across the palm of Tori’s hand. It was a phone number.

“If my mom ever answers, you don’t have to talk to her, even if she’s being nice,” Jade said.

For the rest of lunch, Tori kept glancing down at the digits on her hand. It felt... _sexy_? Maybe that wasn’t quite the right word, but the act of Jade penning the numbers directly onto her skin certainly had an intimacy to it.

During her next class they had a short review quiz, which Tori had studied for and finished in about five minutes. While she waited for everyone else, she figured she’d return the sentiment by writing Jade a note. It wouldn’t be nearly as gothic and mysterious as Jade’s, but Tori would at least try to make it interesting.

**Jade,**

**I had such a good time last night. I don’t want to give Sikowitz any credit, but I am kind of having fun doing things we normally wouldn’t. The note you left me was amazing. You have this way of making me feel special while also making me laugh and...it’s really cool.**

That wasn’t really at all the word she wanted to use and she couldn’t delete it. So she had to press on.

**Okay, cool is not a cool word to describe it. You’re cool and you do cool stuff but that was more like...sweet. Which you probably think is uncool. But, sorry. I think you’re sweet and thoughtful and someone who makes me happy.**

Wow, that was kind of a lot? Maybe? But they should be able to talk about their feelings. They were girlfriends, after all.

**< 3 Tori**

She decided to add something, just to lighten it up a little.

**P.S. Sorry you didn’t get to see the old lady hanging from the roller coaster.**

Tori then drew a doodle of a stick figure in that exact scenario at the bottom of the page and hoped it translated. She tore the page out of her notebook and began to fold it up.

“Tori?” said Ms. Farmer, from her desk.

Tori wasn’t sure what was happening. “Yes?”

“Will you please bring that up here?”

She glanced down at the note. “Uh…” But Ms. Farmer gestured for her to hurry up and come forward.

“Is this a note?” Ms. Farmer asked.

“It’s…” Tori always had a hard time lying. “Yeah.”

“Mmmhmm,” said the teacher, taking it from her. She unfolded the page and Tori felt like she was about to melt into the floor. But instead of reading it, Ms. Farmer began to refold it. “See, you want to bring it over like this and then…” more folds until it was tucked into itself, making the shape of a heart. “Much better,” she said, handing it back to Tori.

“Oh, cool,” was Tori’s reply, both in awe and also confused. Sometimes the educators at Hollywood Arts were so unpredictable.

Just before last period, Tori slid the note into Jade’s locker, knowing she wouldn’t see her before the end of the day. She spent the entire final class period wondering if Jade had received her message. When she opened her locker to grab what she needed to take home, there was a fresh piece of paper, folded up into a tight square. When she opened it, it said:

**UR A NERD**

**(But I’m into it.)**

**< 3 Jade**

**P.S. Is your jacuzzi fixed yet?**

-

Jade came home to an empty house that afternoon and camped out in her mom’s office, since it was the room with the only landline phone in the house. It had been her dad’s office before the divorce, and it had been dour and exceedingly boring; the only interesting thing about it was that Jade was not allowed in it, which meant she snuck in whenever she could, even though there was nothing to see.

As her mom’s office, it was...slightly more interesting, if only because it didn’t seem to be much of a workspace. Between half-heartedly doing her homework and staring at the phone, Jade started poking through her mother’s belongings. Her desk had a lot of fashion and design magazines that Jade flipped through and set aside. She had a TV with a built-in VCR in the corner, which Jade was initially excited to notice until she realized the only VHS tapes in the house were the exercise ones from the 90s featuring Cindy Crawford or with names like Buns of Steel. No, thanks. The bookshelf was covered in rocks and gems as well as actual literature--though, literature was a strong word, because an awful lot of it was romance novels and bodice rippers. But her mom had always loved collecting rocks, and even Jade had to admit some of the geodes and quartzes were kind of cool to look at.

Actually, some of the books were interesting, too. Her mom had a decent assortment of Stephen King novels. Jade ended up pulling a hardcover copy of _Rose Madder_ from the shelf, since it was one she hadn’t read before. She skimmed the book jacket, wondering if her mom had read it. The spine was cracked, so probably. She put it with her homework, deciding she would start reading it that night.

Maybe sooner, if Tori didn’t call.

She was starting to worry that Tori had smudged her phone number, or maybe washed her hands too many times and lost it completely. She started looking in the drawers of her mother’s desk. Boring paperwork, votive candles, old magazines, horseshoes, Jade and Jeremy’s report cards. _Oh_.

Tarot cards. Jade put the box on top of _Rose Madder._ She’d be borrowing these, too.

She was looking in the drawer that held a sage smudge stick and some assorted crystals when the phone rang. She snatched it up before the first ring ended.

“Hello?”

“Jade?” The voice on the other end sounded different somehow, tinnier, and also, hurried.

“Tori?”

“Hey, I need you to come over. Like, right now.”

“Okay…” Jade tapped her fingers on the desk. “Why?” Not that she needed a reason, but she wanted some sense of what she was getting into, because Tori sounded weird right now.

“Just come over, I’ll tell you when you get here. Chiz, I’ve got to go.” The line clicked.

Jade stared at the phone before setting it back on the cradle. What had been the damn point of giving Tori her number if they were going to talk for all of ten seconds? They could’ve just agreed that Jade would come over after she was done with her homework or something instead of going through all this trouble.

Sighing, Jade gathered her belongings and the borrowed objects and left her mom’s office, taking them down to her room before heading out to her car.

-

The new challenge meant that someone had to keep an eye on Cat so they could beat the boys. Tori had invited her over that evening thinking just keeping her in sight would be enough, but Cat was a maniac. It was like when she’d been addicted to Bibble, but now her phone was all she could think of and talk about and she’d started tearing through Tori’s house, looking for a phone. For the brief window that Tori was able to corral her in the garage, she’d called Jade and now was waiting for her to come over. At the moment, the best Tori could do was literally sit on Cat to keep her from breaking free.

There was a knock at the door and Tori shouted, “It’s open, come in!”

“Okay,” came Jade’s voice as the front door swung open. She tossed her purse on one of the chairs. “I’m here. Why did you--why are you sitting on Cat?”

Tori explained that Cat was out of control and that she didn’t think she could stop her alone. Cat agreed, saying she was scrappy and wriggling around underneath her. Tori was sitting on Cat’s back while she lay, face down, on the couch. To get her to stop moving, all she could do was swat at Cat’s butt, but that just made Cat laugh.

Jade watched them through narrowed eyes. “So I’m here to assist you?” she asked.

Tori knew it was her own doing, inviting Cat over, but it was for the good of their team. The girls needed to stick together to beat the boys. Plus, she knew Jade was grumpy from the technology withdrawal, so Tori also had another reason to ask her over, if they could get past the part where Cat couldn’t be trusted to roam free.

“There’s no way she’s going to make it another five days without texting or using a phone for something,” Jade pointed out.

“It’s true,” Cat lamented. “I’d do anything to text someone right now, and I mean anything.” She looked right at Tori, who wasn’t sure exactly _what_ she was referring to, but it seemed like it was probably extreme. “Yeah.” Jade’s eyebrows shot up and Tori was even more curious about _what Cat would do_.

“Okay, fine,” Tori said, dropping onto the couch. “Then let’s just give up now.”

Cat began to bounce around, asking for a phone, but Jade pushed her onto the other couch. “Wait!” Jade said. But Cat was already out of control as she shot back up and tried to break away. Jade wrestled her back to the couch and looked to Tori. “Help me!”

They managed to calm Cat down by both sitting on her. Then Jade pitched her plan. If they knew they couldn’t make it five more days, what if they could get the boys to break first? They all agreed to it, but now they were still faced with the problem that Cat was still in a phone frenzy.

“We can’t just sit on her all night,” Jade said.

Tori didn’t want to do that, either, especially because of the actual reason she’d wanted to call Jade in the first place. “I have an idea of what we could do, but we’d have to figure out how to make it work with Cat.”

Jade side-eyed her. “Okay, there’s really only one major thing we’ve been doing together and I think it’s a _little early_ to introduce another person into that.” She smirked, watching as Tori’s eyes grew wide when she realized the innuendo.

“That’s not--” Tori was flustered, even though she knew Jade was just teasing. “I’m trying to tell you that the jacuzzi is fixed.”

The waves of excitement that moved through Jade were practically visible. “Don’t toy with me, Vega,” she warned.

“I’d never joke about something you’ve been asking me about every five minutes.”

Jade turned and looked down at Cat. “I swear to chiz, if I have to, I will handcuff you to Tori, but we are _going_ in that jacuzzi.”

It turned out that was about the only way to make this work. Of course, there were no actual handcuffs on hand, but Tori did have several bandanas which they used to tie Cat to the both of them at the wrist. It made it a little awkward getting into the jacuzzi, but the look of sheer pleasure on Jade’s face when she sank down into the bubbling water made Tori decide it would all be worth it.

Even Cat seemed subdued once she sat down, wearing a borrowed swimsuit of Tori’s and announcing, “Pool party!”

Tori noticed this was one of the few times she’d ever seen Jade’s hair up. The only other instances were really only if a show or film project required it for a character. Her eyes mapped the expanse of skin along her neck, the ridge of her jawline, thinking about every spot she’d already kissed and wondering what she’d missed. Well, she was trying to do that but Cat kept thrashing in the water.

“ _Cat_ ,” Jade warned. She had her eyes closed with her head resting back against the rim.

“Here,” said Tori, reaching up to the spot where they’d stacked the towels and grabbing Cat’s dog toy phone. She immediately regretted it because Cat needed both hands to send fake texts, which meant her arm was pulled over, as was Jade’s.

They managed to last about fifteen minutes before it was too much, even for Jade. “Okay, I can’t pretend to be in a witch’s soup if you keep squeaking that damn chew toy and yanking me around.”

Something rustled in the bushes.

“Sinjin!” Tori shouted. But there was no reply. Maybe it was their neighbor. “Mr. Busey! My dad says you’re still not allowed in our yard!” No answer, but more rustling.

Maybe it was time to go inside.

-

Later that night, after Jade had left Tori’s, dropped off Cat (and made her swear on her stuffed giraffe not to use a phone), and taken a shower, she was sprawled across her bed with the Stephen King novel she’d taken from her mother’s office. It was decent and weird and it moved pretty quickly, so she was pleased with her choice. The frustrating thing was that, unlike when she watched movies on her PearBook or when she scrolled through videos on her phone, reading from an actual page actually relaxed her and she found herself getting drowsy when she wanted to keep reading. How annoying.

Finally, she gave in to the idea of going to sleep, but not before taking one more look over the note Tori had left in her locker that day. She’d been using it as a bookmark, mostly so she had an excuse to look at it while lying on her bed. Her eyes kept falling on **You have this way of making me feel special** and **I think you’re sweet and thoughtful** , which were things people never said about her. The closest to any of this she could remember Beck ever saying was that she made him happy. But sweet? Thoughtful? Not synonyms with Jade West.

And then, there at the bottom, the part that said **< 3 Tori**. Jade knew she signed her note in a nearly identical manner, but she also knew just how much she’d considered what that stupid little heart meant, because it did mean something to her, something she wasn’t quite ready to verbalize, but something she was definitely feeling. She wondered if Tori had put the same weight behind it.

The reality of her feelings were rapidly becoming something she knew she needed to deal with, which meant they probably needed to talk about...all of this. But that was scary and terrifying and what if Tori didn’t feel the same way? Of course, what if she _did_ feel the same way? Jade also considered that things seemed to be moving fast to even think about this stuff, they’d only been girlfriends for a couple of weeks. But they’d been kissing for three months and dating for two, and if Jade was willing to be honest with herself, she’d wanted Tori to be _something_ (even if she hadn’t settled in what to call it) to her ever since the day Tori jumped out of the car and Jade was scared she’d lost her in the desert.

Jade slid the note between the pages of the chapter she was reading, then shut the book and placed it on her nightstand before turning off the lamp. She was tired, but her mind was still active, still processing everything about the note and Tori and the last three months. Mostly, she thought about how all she wanted to do was send Tori a text or a meme or even just dumb emoji. At least then Tori would know she was thinking about her. And Jade would know the same. She thrived on validation and not having any kind of communication with her girlfriend made that difficult.

The plan they came up with better work, because Jade wasn’t sure she could last much longer.

-

They’d discussed the plan the night before, while drying off from their time in the jacuzzi. Tori and Jade had to re-bind themselves to Cat after getting redressed in regular clothes, because she still was completely out of control. So they sat on one of Tori’s couches, Cat in between them.

They’d all kicked around ideas for what they could do to get the guys to cheat and check their phones.

“Why don’t we just tell them there’s a video of us making out on The Slap?” Jade suggested.

Tori knew that just the idea was making her blush, “I...don’t know about that,” she mumbled.

“Why not? We do it, anyway.”

“Well, do you really think your ex-boyfriend and my best friend would actually want to see that?” Tori had trouble imagining that they would.

Jade considered that, then said, “Yes,” unequivocally.

“I dunno,” Cat said. She was still squeaking away on her dog chew toy, and since Tori and Jade were both tied to her, their hands were resting on either one of her knees. “I don’t know if I’d go looking for it.”

Now Tori was a little offended. “Really?” she asked.

“Well…” Cat seemed to be reconsidering.

“I would,” Jade said promptly.

“ _Really_?”

“Yeah. We’re hot. Of course I’d go looking.”

Tori didn’t know how to feel about all of it, so she just shook her head, “What if it’s less something scandalous and more just...weird and funny. People always want to see weird and funny. That’s what most of us miss about our technology, right?”

Jade shrugged, conceding the point. Cat piped up, “What if we say Tori has a weird mole on her butt and there’s a picture of it on The Slap?”

Tori groaned, “Wait, why does it have to be me?”

“Because Trina’s the one who posted it,” Cat replied.

Tori had to admit the plan made sense. Trina was maybe the only conceivable person who could post something crazy to The Slap right now that people might want to see. Cat was occasionally pretty clever. “But _why_ does it have to be a _butt_ mole?!”

“Hey,” Jade said sharply, eyes glinting with mischief, “You’re the one who insisted people like to see weird and funny. A butt mole...maybe shaped like a fish...is weird and funny.”

Cat giggled, “Shaped like a fish. I’d want to see that.”

Jade smiled triumphantly, “There we go. So let’s rehearse a little script, and tomorrow we’ll make sure all the guys overhear us talking about how Trina posted your weird butt mole on The Slap, and _at least_ one of them will have to be tempted to look.”

Tori sighed. Her girlfriend, the sadist, seemed to be on board with this plan because it made Tori so uncomfortable. She supposed she had to let her get her kicks somehow.

She felt Jade’s hand reaching under Cat’s chew toy to grab Tori’s fingers reassuringly. Cat was either so focused on her toy that she didn’t notice, or she didn’t care, as they interlaced fingers right in front of her.

“Okay, but just to be clear, I don’t _actually_ have a mole on my butt shaped like a fish,” Tori felt the need to state.

“Sure,” Jade drawled, amused.

“Duh, Tori,” Cat said, looking up at her, “This is a pretend scene for our plan.”

They’d rehearsed the plan, and now, at school, they were all three roaming around together between classes, not only so that Jade and Tori could keep an eye on Cat, but also so that they could find moments to catch the boys alone and enact their script.

They caught Andre in the music room, listening to circus music on his record player and looking miserable. They saw Beck near the Jet Brew stand at school. By the time they found Robbie in Sikowitz’s classroom, trying to write on a typewriter, they were sure they might actually win. By their third runthrough, Tori thought they all were beginning to sound pretty desperate. But they _were_ desperate. If this didn’t work, they might as well give up now.

But Robbie was by himself, in the room where the phones actually were, piled in a box on the stage. And, now that Tori thought about it, they probably should’ve started with him. He was probably the weakest link.

Oh, well. Too late now.

But as the day continued on, there was no indication that the contest was over. None of the boys must’ve been tempted to check. During lunch, while they were all huddled around their usual table, Jade pulled a pouch out of her purse. Inside was a deck of tarot cards.

“Anyone want to know their future?” Jade asked with a flourish.

“Me, I do!” Cat declared. “When do I get my phone back?”

“Not me,” Andre shook his head. “I don’t mess with that chiz.”

Jade passed the cards to Cat, asking her to gently shuffle them. “ _Not_ like you do at poker,” she warned. When Cat complied and handed the deck back, Jade began to flip a series of cards onto the table. “Interesting.” But she didn’t expand. Even Andre was intrigued by whatever was supposed to come next. Another card. “Hmm.” And then a third. “Really? Huh.”

“What does it _mean_?” Cat cried.

“It means…” Jade evaluated the cards on the table, “that if you don’t _chill out_ , this guy here with the horns is going to visit you in your dreams and make sure you never text anyone again.”

Cat screamed and dashed away from the table.

“Great, you traumatized Cat,” Tori said, wondering if Jade even knew _how_ to read tarot.

“She’s fine,” Jade said.

“Do me,” said Rex.

“You wish,” spat Jade.

“Nah, really, tell me my future.”

“Okay,” Jade scooped up the cards, passed them to Robbie for a fresh shuffle, then began a new reading. Or whatever it was she was doing it. Three more cards on the table. “Oof, Death. Yep.”

“What about the other two cards?” asked Rex.

“Also death. And death. That’s the risk you take wanting to know.” Jade cleared the cards off the table and packed them back into the pouch. “Better enjoy your time while you have it.” Rex’s mouth hung open while Jade slipped an arm around Tori and began picking at the chips on Tori’s lunch plate.

So it was time for another night of trying to find ways to control Cat. On the way home from school, with both Tori and Cat in the car, Jade stopped at the pet store.

“Wait here,” she said, before exiting the car.

“Oh, are we getting a puppy?” asked Cat.

“I don’t think we’re getting a puppy,” said Tori. Though, she genuinely had no idea what Jade was up to.

From the backseat, she heard the squeaking of Cat’s dog toy phone. Maybe Jade was getting squeaky phones for everyone. Things were getting kind of critical.

Tori spotted Jade exiting the store, making the walk back to the car. She had on her sunglasses and a flannel (the weather had been unusually cool this week, for May in Los Angeles), which Tori found to be particularly attractive. Her girlfriend was _hot_. Maybe they should have gone with the make out video plan. Or maybe she was just missing making out with Jade.

“Here,” Jade said, sliding back into the driver’s seat and tossing the plastic bag to Tori.

Inside was a pink leash and harness. “Really?” Tori asked. “Is this safe?”

Jade shrugged as she checked the mirrors before backing out of the space. “If it’s safe enough for Noodles the poodle, it’s safe enough for Cat.”

While it seemed like an extreme solution, it actually worked. They tied the end of the leash to the stairway railing in Tori’s living room and Cat didn’t even seem bothered by the harness as it kept her contained in her phone-free zone.

Tori sat next to Jade on the couch. With Cat occupied across the room, she wanted to enjoy some time together. Okay, it wasn’t as if they were going to start making out in front of Cat, no matter how preoccupied she was with her squeaky toy phone, but Tori was still thinking a lot about their evening together on Monday, and Jade in her skirt and flannel looked especially good today. So she leaned into her, “Hey.”

Jade’s expression softened slightly and she looked at her sidelong, eyes coy and lips quirked, “Hey, yourself.”

Tori began running her fingers down Jade’s arm, while Jade watched, expression amused and very focused. She moved her hand to meet Tori’s, interlacing their fingers and clasping Tori’s hand firmly. Tori lifted Jade hand to her mouth, kissing her knuckles lightly.

“When this week is over,” Jade started, voice pitched low. “You and I have some...things we need to do together. You know. Making up for lost time.”

Tori wet her lips and drew her bottom lip between her teeth. “What did you have in mind?”

Jade leaned close, close enough that Tori considered tuning out the rhythmic squeaks of Cat’s dog toy and just kissing Jade, right now. Her eyes flicked rapidly between Jade’s eyes and her lips, as Jade moved her mouth to Tori’s ear. “What I’m thinking,” she said slowly, and Tori shivered deliciously at the sultry voice, “Is that I’m going to come over every night and get in your jacuzzi.”

Tori’s mouth dropped open, and she knocked Jade’s shoulder with her own, “You are _ridiculous_!” she accused, wriggling to try to grab Jade, intent on wrestling her down.

But then Jade stopped her with a hand on her chest, “Wait.”

In the same moment, Tori noticed it, too. The ceaseless squeaking of the dog toy had, in fact...ceased. Tori saw Jade’s gaze look past her and Tori spun around.

Cat had the leash held up to her mouth, gnawing on it.

“No!” Jade shouted, shooting up from the couch and running over to take the leash out of Cat’s mouth.

Tori looked around helplessly and spotted the Rubik’s cube next to the TV. She’d tried it earlier, but didn’t have the patience to figure it out. “Here, Cat,” she said, “Maybe try this for awhile.”

“I don’t _want_ to,” Cat whined, “I want a phone! I need my phone!”

“I’ll give you the toy back,” Tori bargained, “After you at least _try_ the cube.”

Cat groaned and fell over onto the floor like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Tori almost couldn’t blame her. Jade had to help her back up so she wouldn’t get too tangled in her leash.

Jade followed Tori back to the couches, and Tori reluctantly sat on the opposite one. “I guess I can’t sit next to you,” she sighed, “Too distracting.”

“Yeah,” Jade agreed, though she didn’t sound thrilled about it.

They sat for a moment, listening to the rhythmic clicking of Cat playing with the Rubik’s cube, until Cat shouted, “There! I did it! Can I have my phone back?!”

Tori glanced over in shock, and indeed, Cat was holding a completed Rubik’s cube. She turned to stare at Jade in astonishment. Jade shook her head in response, eyebrows arched in surprise, clearly as baffled as Tori.

“Well, okay,” Tori told Cat, trading the Rubik’s cube for the dog toy. Cat snatched it back eagerly, already squeaking away as she intently pretended to text someone.

“How did she…?” Tori started turning the Rubik’s cube to mess it up, but even after only a few turns, she didn’t have the slightest clue how to get it back together.

“Let me try,” Jade requested, catching it when Tori tossed it to her. Tori watched idly, glancing every once in a while at Cat to make sure she wasn’t trying to escape, as Jade twisted and turned the toy, eyebrows constricting tighter and tighter. Finally, Jade threw it on the floor, “ _I hate this_!” she screamed.

Tori leaned back against the couch and moaned piteously. Here she was, sitting far away from her girlfriend, babysitting a girl who completely lacked self-control.

“Oh!” Cat shouted, standing up and trying to walk toward them, “I’m pretending I got another text. It’s from Robbie’s friend Billy Kwan, all the way from Asia.” She walked until the leash went taut, forcing her back a step.

Jade was watching her with a troubled expression, “It’s kind of sad watching Cat go mentally insane,” she commented as Cat giggled to herself, “I always thought it would happen more gradually.”

Tori nodded, the two of them exchanging miserable looks.

“I texted Billy back!” Cat announced, “I said, ‘yay Asia!’” She laughed and turned the dog toy toward them, as if it had an actual screen they could look at. Abruptly, she stopped laughing, “Oh my god, I wish it were real.”

The doorbell rang. “Who is that?” Tori griped, already annoyed as she got up to answer it.

It turned out to be a lost little girl. It was such a surprise to see a strange child on her doorstep asking for help contacting her mom that Tori automatically agreed to help.

“Wait!” Jade stood up from the couch.

“What?” Tori asked.

“It’s a trick,” Jade hissed, “So we’ll use our phones.”

“It’s not a trick!” the child insisted, too quickly.

Tori was immediately suspicious. “Who sent you?!” she demanded.

“I have asthma!” the girl shouted desperately.

“Was it Andre, Robbie, Beck, who!?” Tori felt like she was about to lose it, she was so frustrated at almost being tricked by a child that she was screaming.

“I just got lost! I took the wrong bus.”

Tori felt Jade’s hand on her upper arm, gently pulling her back. Okay, maybe she was going a little overboard. This was still just a kid. That didn’t mean she couldn’t glare at her over Jade’s shoulder. “Well,” Jade said, sounding infinitely more calm than Tori felt, “You know what happens to little girls with asthma who take the wrong bus?”

“No?” the kid said cautiously.

“They get a face full of door!” Jade slammed the door in the little girl’s face as she tried to speak. Jade strode back to her couch, grumbling, “Little grunch.”

Tori couldn’t believe that the guys had sunk so low as to send some child to try to trick them, but as soon as she started saying as much to Jade, horror washed over her. What if it really was a lost child and they’d refused to help her? She could have just used the landline in the garage. They didn’t even _have_ their phones here, so how were they supposed to be tricked into using them?

As Tori started spiraling into a crisis, Jade offered only cold comfort. “Then she’ll learn a valuable lesson. You know. Always take the right bus.” By now, even Jade seemed uncertain.

But there was no time to dwell on it, because with an audible ripping sound, Cat finally chewed through her leash enough to tear it. “I’m free!” Cat declared, and began sprinting through Tori’s house, screaming about needing a phone. She slipped past Tori at the kitchen, but Jade caught her near the sofas and tackled her to the ground. Tori flung herself onto Jade, just to be sure they had Cat pinned.

They tied the chewed leash back together, though it was shorter now, giving Cat even less range, which was maybe better because it would be harder for her to get into a comfortable position to chew through it again.

“Now,” said Jade, handing Cat her toy phone. “I want you to text Andre and tell him everything you’ve done today. Don’t leave anything out.”

“Kay kay,” was Cat’s subdued reply. The squeaking resumed.

“That should keep her busy for a while,” Jade decided, again taking her seat on the couch. She rubbed at her shoulder. “I think I pulled something trying to pin her down.”

Tori perched herself on the arm of the sofa. “Here.”

“What?”

“Come over here so I can rub your shoulder.”

Jade’s eyebrow raised up. “You sure you know what you’re getting into?”

“I know I’m offering to rub your shoulder,” Tori said with an expectant look.

“Fine.” Jade scooted over to where Tori sat and turned to put her back against the arm of the couch.

Tori began to lightly massage the shoulder Jade had indicated. “Where does it hurt?”

“Like,” Jade grabbed Tori’s hand and put it directly over a specific area. “Here.”

“I think you need to take your shirt off,” Tori decided. It was too hard to try and feel around through the flannel.

Jade scoffed, but complied. “Smooth move, Vega.”

The squeaking from the toy phone continued, so Tori continued to press and knead with her fingers. Her hands moved from the start point over to the base of Jade’s neck, where Tori noticed everything was incredibly tense. “No wonder you’re sore. This is like massaging a rock.”

“I carry a lot of tension because everyone around me is annoying.” When Tori put more pressure into a certain spot with her thumb, Jade groaned. Like, loudly. Tori stopped. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah...yes. Keep doing that. And you can do it...more. Like, harder,” urged Jade.

This was just a basic shoulder rub, but Tori felt her cheeks flush. “Like this?” She repeated her action, but leaned into it even more.

“Yep, oh yeah.” Jade sounded like she was trying to keep her reactions subdued, but it was still...a lot.

Tori kept going, trying not to read anything into the noises Jade was making while also trying to keep an ear open for the squeaking of the toy phone. If it ever slowed or stopped, one of them instructed Cat to text a new person, and it was a system that seemed to work. But by the end of the evening, when Jade left to take Cat home again, Tori wasn’t sure how many more nights she could last without being able to text Jade. She missed her, because even though they were spending a lot of time together after school, almost all of their energy was spent keeping Cat from losing the competition for all of them.

The next morning, when Tori opened the door for Jade (she was still always a few minutes behind, trying to get everything together), she noticed Jade was wearing a color that looked a lot like...pink. She was also wearing a lot of black, but the lace-up cami top Jade had on was a rose color.

“What?” Jade asked.

“Just not a color I’m used to seeing on you.”

“Black?”

“Pink.”

“I’m _not_ wearing pink,” Jade’s statement was accompanied by a scowl.

“Aren’t you?”

“No. It’s purple.”

“A really pinkish purple.”

“Are you even ready to go?”

“Almost.”

The good thing about the day was, it marked the end of the contest. The bad thing was, it was because the girls lost, when Sikowitz teamed up with the boys to trick them. Tori had been _sure_ that Sikowitz had indicated the end of the contest when he offered them their phones and they all grabbed them, but only she, Jade and Cat had turned theirs on to start taking pictures of Robbie the Scuba Fairy. The boys had left theirs off. They were then subjected to said boys running around them and chanting “Boy power! Boy power! Boy power!” which was extremely annoying.

Still, it was worth it, Tori thought. The pictures of Robbie were hilarious, and they all had a lot to catch up on. And they finally got to see that Wacky Donkey video everyone else had already forgotten about, which was so funny that it made Cat barf.

When the boys and Sikowitz came back to the black box theater to continue class, after, Tori guessed, taking a victory lap around the school or something while Robbie changed clothes, they all tried to focus, even though their phones begged for their attention, with all the notifications they’d missed.

But then Robbie decided to rub in their face that “At least the boys are definitely getting an A for the semester!”

Tori, Jade and Cat stuck their tongues out at him, and Sikowitz announced, “No, you’re not!”

Andre, Beck and Robbie all turned and stared. “Wait, what?” Andre asked.

“I never said you were getting As for the semester,” Sikowitz said, clearly pleased with himself.

“You did, though,” Andre said.

“Yeah,” Beck agreed, “That was the point of the contest, we just changed it to boys versus--”

“No, no!” Sikowitz rubbed his hands together with glee, “The original contest was you all had to last a week without your phones, _which_ you did not do. And when we changed the terms, all I said was that it was boys versus girls, and whoever cracked first would lose the bet for their side. There was no reward except bragging rights!” He grinned widely.

“But that’s not fair!” Robbie said.

“No, what’s not _fair_ , is an educator teaming up with students to guarantee them an A,” Sikowitz said, “So all of you will have to continue to work hard in this class! Now let’s continue with rehearsal!”

Tori sat back with a satisfied smile. Okay, it would’ve been nice to get a guaranteed A, but as she discreetly sent Jade a text, even knowing she wouldn’t see it until after the scene she was in ended, she decided it was well worth it just to have her phone back.

-

The rest of the week was much easier to handle, although it was busier. Preparing for the performance of _Periscope Doom_ that Saturday meant evening rehearsals, which meant less time for homework, which meant less time for Tori. Jade still drove her home before heading back to school to rehearse, but they both knew that they probably wouldn’t get much time together until the weekend.

But they had their phones back. So really, Jade thought, it at least felt like they were still connected. And they didn’t have to babysit Cat anymore.

As she got in bed with _Rose Madder_ and texted Tori goodnight on Friday night, Jade was sure she’d never take for granted their good night texts ever again.

On Saturday, they performed _Periscope Doom_. Tori came to see it, even though Jade was certain she had it memorized by now. Jade was kind of relieved that her mom was out of town, because if she were home, she’d certainly have come to see the show, and Jade wasn’t sure she’d been able to convince her not to talk to Tori. And even if she did, Beck would probably say hello to her--he was always too polite that way--and then Tori might notice her, and they might talk anyway. Tori had met her mom, briefly, at _Well Wishes_ , and even then, Jade had forbidden her mom from interacting beyond a greeting. She certainly wasn’t ready to have the two of them interact now that her mom knew they were in a relationship.

Jade realized she hadn’t even told Tori that her mom knew. It was the kind of thing she would have texted about as soon as it happened, but she couldn’t, and in all the chaos of the rest of the week, it had kind of slipped her mind.

So after the show, as she and Tori drove back to Tori’s house, Jade brought it up. “So. I forgot to tell you, but, my mom knows we’re together.”

“Oh?” Tori turned to look at Jade, “How’d that go?”

Jade shrugged, “Fine, I think. That first night, she offered to check The Slap for me, and I figured we’d found a loophole. But then she went to my page and saw our relationship status.”

“Oh, man. Were you even ready for her to know?”

“Not really. Especially not since she thought Beck and I might still get back together.”

“Weird.”

“I know. There’s a reason I don’t like to talk about relationships with her. She never understands what’s happening.”

Tori was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Did she seem...surprised?”

“I don’t know. I guess not really.”

“Well, maybe my parents can give her Patrice’s number and she can have her come over and humiliate you,” Tori suggested with a laugh.

“Oh god no,” Jade said, “If she thought I needed to have a talk like that, she’d probably try to do it herself. And I would literally rather scissor myself to death.”

Tori choked on nothing. Jade smirked triumphantly.

They made it to Tori’s house, and Jade got her bathing suit out of the trunk as they headed inside. But before she could even go into the bathroom to change, she saw Tori looking out the sliding door. “Uh oh,” she said.

“What?”

“My parents are in the jacuzzi,” Tori told her.

Jade walked over to look out the door, too, frowning at what she saw.

“We could still go in, I guess,” Tori sounded reluctant.

“That’s okay.” Jade didn’t think she’d be able to convince Tori’s parents, who were talking and laughing and sitting too close, of the importance of being still and quiet and pretending you were soup.

They headed over to the couches and Jade reached for the remote. Yet, as much as they’d missed television during the first half of the week, there was absolutely nothing on that they wanted to watch. Tori fiddled with her PearPad for a minute, then cast it to the television. It was a SplashFace video and Jade assumed it was something for them to laugh at, but Tori was on her feet and pulling at Jade’s hand.

“What’s happening?” Jade asked.

“I want to try something,” said Tori as the selected video played.

It was an instructional video about dancing the salsa and it was about as corny as could be expected, but Tori seemed adamant about it, so Jade followed along. Though, there was one important question. “Wait, am I the man or the lady?” Jade asked, glancing between Tori and the male and female couple screen.

“The lady,” Tori said, as if she’d already considered it. Which, maybe that made sense, since taking dance lessons was the kind of date night Nancy and Walter probably enjoyed.

It was pretty fun, actually, and the beginning steps were fairly simple. Even after about ten minutes, they were able to move along with the music better than they had that night up on the overlook. This dance felt perfect for them, with the elements of resistance leading to movement together and Tori proved to be an excellent lead. Except for maybe right now, when they tried a turn and Tori knocked into the couch and they tumbled into each other.

“Uh oh,” came a male voice from the patio door off the kitchen. It was Tori’s dad, followed by her mom, both wrapped up in robes as they were coming in from the jacuzzi. “Looks like someone’s trying to master the salsa.”

“Your dad’s really good, you should ask him for pointers,” said Holly.

“I only look good when dancing with your mom,” David replied.

Suddenly, both the Vega parents began dancing in the kitchen, a much more advanced version of what Jade and Tori had been working on. And certainly a version with much more hip action. Jade was impressed, but when she looked over at Tori, she was obviously embarrassed.

At least they quickly carried their impromptu party upstairs.

“Aw, they’re cute,” Jade said. That was her honest opinion. She’d never, in her life, seen her parents behave in such a way and it was sweet to know maybe love really existed like this in a marriage.

“Kind of weird to watch my mom doing what you were just doing.”

“Please, her moves were way better than mine.”

Tori let herself fall over the back of the couch and roll onto the cushions. “ _Jade_!”

“Listen,” Jade said, leaning over the sofa and looking down at Tori. “I’ll practice so that one day I’ll be as good as your mom.”

“Oh god, _stop talking_!” Tori flung one of the couch pillows at her, but Jade caught it.

Jade walked around the couch to sit and Tori quickly readjusted, reclaiming the pillow, using it to rest her head on Jade’s lap, looking up at her. “I do really like the idea, though,” Jade said. “Of dancing with you.”

Tori had claimed one of Jade’s hands between her own, while Jade used the other to stroke Tori’s hair. “Yeah, me too. I’m really glad to have my phone back, but I’m also happy that we discovered some other things.”

Jade wanted to think that she would have taken Tori to the overlook on her own, without the prompting of sheer boredom or that they would have written notes to each other even with the ability to text anything at a whim, but she knew that maybe they needed the encouragement to explore new ways to express themselves.

“Maybe we can try that once in a while. Something non-digital.”

“I think I’d like that,” Tori said, kissing the back of Jade’s hand. They sat there, just enjoying each other for a moment. “I guess the jacuzzi is free, if we want it.”

“I’m actually okay, right here, for now.” Tori grinned up at her and Jade felt like she might as well be filled with helium and float into the ceiling. “But tomorrow, we’re going in. No Cat. No parents. No excuses.”

-

Jade came over in the early afternoon the next day, swimsuit in hand and clearly on a mission.

“You should just start keeping a swimsuit here,” Tori commented as she let her into the house.

“I just might,” Jade said, then her expression turned inquisitive, “The jacuzzi is free, right?” she asked, concerned.

Tori nodded, “My parents are out of town. Trina’s here, but she’s upstairs.” Her parents had also told Trina she wasn’t allowed to use the jacuzzi unsupervised, but Tori didn’t think that restriction would last long. Trina could not be controlled.

“All right. Let’s change, then.”

They headed up to Tori’s room so Jade could at least keep her clothes somewhere a little more private than the downstairs bathroom. Tori ducked into the bathroom to change, giving Jade the bedroom. It seemed courteous. She knocked before coming back out, but Jade was ready, and they headed down together.

Jade was giving her an odd look as they approached the jacuzzi. “What?” Tori asked.

“Nothing,” Jade said, but then her eyes ran down Tori’s entire body, appraising her in a way that made Tori feel warm for a moment, “Just...the glasses with the bathing suit is quite a look.”

“Well, I’m not wearing them _into_ the jacuzzi, they’ll just fog up,” Tori replied. “But I _like_ being able to see when doing things like going down the stairs.”

“That’s a shame,” Jade said, voice almost a purr, “It’s kind of like...centerfold librarian or something.”

“That makes no sense,” Tori said, though she was grinning. She took off her glasses and set them on the table next to the jacuzzi.

Tori slid into the jacuzzi, sighing at the warm water and the rush of water jets. It was certainly refreshing. She watched as Jade stepped in slowly, settled into place very deliberately, and closed her eyes. She was submerged from the neck down, her hair tied back.

“So, how do we do the human soup thing?” Tori asked.

Jade opened one eye and raised an eyebrow, “You sit and be quiet,” she replied stiffly.

“Right,” Tori subsided. She closed her eyes and submerged her arms, trying to figure out what Jade was getting out of the experience. She supposed there was something kind of interesting about the helplessness of the imagined scenario of being cooked alive by witches. Tori kept imagining ways she might escape from being turned into soup, or ways she might rescue them both, but that didn’t seem to be what was going on for Jade, who apparently liked to imagine bubbling in the soup and waiting for death.

Well, Jade was weird. That wasn’t news.

But there was only so long Tori could just sit quietly with her eyes closed in the jacuzzi, especially when she could open them and look at her girlfriend. Jade was still motionless, submerged, head tilted back just slightly to rest on the edge of the jacuzzi. Tori studied the slope of her neck again, that alluring skin she’d noticed last time when they were both tied to Cat, even more enticing in the light of day. She let her eyes roam. Jade was unguarded, her face relaxed, and Tori looked freely, mentally mapping out where she wanted her lips to go.

There was the sound of water as Tori approached Jade. Jade lifted her head slightly, but her eyes remained closed as Tori drifted over to her and straddled her lap.

“I’m being soup,” Jade told her, though her lip had quirked a little in evident amusement.

“Yeah, I don’t really want to make out with soup,” Tori told her, leaning over to start kissing along her jawline. She heard Jade exhale softly as her lips parted, her head tilting to give Tori more access. Tori kissed along her jaw, to her earlobe, and down her neck, gripping the side of the jacuzzi to try to keep from floating away.

She felt Jade’s hands settle on her hips, holding her in place on Jade’s lap. Tori lifted her head to see that Jade’s eyes were open now, relaxed but with desire smoldering beneath the surface, and she tilted her head up to catch Tori’s lips with her own.

Perhaps because Jade had been so relaxed, caught up in her weird fantasy, they kissed very slowly at first, their hands drifting over exposed skin. The placement of their hands was partially due to the reality of being in a jacuzzi, where Tori might start floating away at any second. Jade’s hands held her in place as they moved along the skin of Tori’s sides. Tori placed her hands on Jade’s shoulders to stay steady, letting her hands roam over her arms. She _really_ liked Jade’s arms.

Jade soon took advantage of her position, though, kissing all over Tori’s neck and then letting Tori lift up enough from her lap so that Jade could begin trailing her lips over the warm, damp skin of Tori’s chest, just above her bathing suit top. Tori tilted her head back, letting Jade’s mouth trace the very tops of her breasts. She remembered exactly what this had been like for her, with Jade on her lap in the car. She wondered if she made such hungry little sounds in her throat when she’d kissed all over Jade.

It was similar to what had happened in Jade’s backseat, but different. They were wearing fewer clothes, certainly, and Jade’s skin definitely felt soft and smooth underwater, but movement was much harder, and at least in the car, Jade hadn’t been in danger of floating away like a balloon. Even with Tori on top of her, Jade wasn’t entirely stable, and they had to readjust frequently between kisses. But Tori was starting to understand that things could very easily escalate in the position they were in. Having Jade on top of her in the car had been exciting and stimulating, but now, with her legs spread over Jade’s lap, she had some sense of what it must’ve been like for Jade, in that skirt. There was so little separating Jade’s body from right between Tori’s legs. Tori had barely been cognizant of it in the car, she was so focused on Jade’s breasts.

But now, the vulnerability of her position, Jade’s mouth all over the wet skin of her chest and neck, Jade’s hands holding firm onto her hips, her own hands moving over Jade’s arms, the skin of her sides, cupping her breasts through her bathing suit top...it was all a lot.

Tori pressed closer as best she could, grabbing the edge of the jacuzzi to pull herself into Jade. Jade’s arms were around her now, their lips connecting. Tori’s arm wrapped around Jade’s shoulders, her other hand holding her hip and moving up to her breast. Tori kept trying to bring her hips down closer to Jade’s, because even the slightest contact was dizzying and exciting, but she was also struggling to stay aware of the fact that it was broad daylight, Trina was home, and her neighbor, Mr. Busey, had a direct view into her yard from some of the windows of his house.

Maybe they needed to slow down. Even if Tori _really_ didn’t want to. Someday, they were going to be doing this, and they wouldn’t stop, and Tori ached for that moment.

But for now, she let her body go a little slack, still kissing Jade. Jade seemed to sense what was happening and loosened her grip, and Tori let herself drift over next to Jade, sitting and wrapping an arm around her to help keep steady.

Jade wrapped her arm around Tori’s shoulder and drew her in for another kiss, this one marginally less heated. They let the kisses burn themselves down slowly, enjoying touching and holding each other, until they were content just holding each other in the water.

“That got...really intense,” Tori told Jade, pressing a soft kiss to her neck.

“Yeah,” Jade agreed, her voice a little rough. “But let me just put out there that as much as I love jacuzzis, jacuzzi sex is a no go.”

“I’m in full agreement there.” Tori had just read a pamphlet the other night warning against this very temptation, as it was apparently a great way to introduce bacteria to sensitive areas.

They stayed in the hot tub a little while longer, trading lazy kisses and holding onto each other. Tori started to worry just how pruney she was going to get.

“Ready to get out soon? Or do you need more time to be soup?”

Jade shook her head, “I guess I got enough soup time. But being with you was better,” she admitted, kissing Tori once more.

Tori grinned. That was a victory.

-

Tori let Jade go upstairs to take the first shower, to wash all the chlorine off her skin. She promised Jade that coffee would be ready by the time she got downstairs.

Jade carried her clothes into the bathroom with her, peeled off her damp swimsuit, and stepped into the shower under the cool spray. Her hair was still tied back, and since it hadn’t gotten wet, she wasn’t worried about washing it. Instead she just focused on soaping up her skin, letting her mind wander to kissing Tori in the jacuzzi. To having Tori on top of her, her skin hot and wet, her mouth eager, her body constantly pushing closer...despite the fact that jacuzzis were places that Jade had long deemed non-sexy (Beck had certainly never gotten anywhere with her in one), she might have to reconsider that with Tori. Not sex in a jacuzzi, but...more of what they’d done today.

She finished showering quickly, rinsing off and turning off the water. She took a moment to wring out her bathing suit and tossed it with her swim towel, figuring she’d hang it to dry outside. She borrowed a towel from the little linen closet and dried off with it, then began to get dressed.

She had just pulled her underwear on when the door to Trina’s bedroom flew open. _Fuck_. She’d forgotten to lock the door. “Oh my _god_!” Trina screamed, staring in shock for a moment before turning her face away and holding her hands up.

Jade didn’t even bother trying to cover up. What was the point? Trina had already seen her in literally just her underwear. Instead she spread her arms aggressively, “Trina, the shower was _just_ running, someone was _obviously_ in here!” Seriously, even though Tori had warned her weeks ago to always lock the door, it had obviously completely slipped Jade’s mind. But even so, Trina knew Jade was here, and Jade would never have guessed she’d be so cavalier as to bust into a bathroom when the lights and fan were still obviously on.

“Well my _door_ was _unlocked_!” Trina shouted back, “So I came in!”

“Do you seriously just walk in on Tori while she’s showering?” Jade wanted to know. Sisters were _so weird_.

“No. Because _Tori locks the door_!” Trina said emphatically, giving Jade a hard look and then clearly regretting it. She slammed the door and Jade heard her stomping away and down the stairs.

She groaned, still too angry to be embarrassed, and tried to dress quickly.

-

Tori was downstairs, standing in the kitchen wrapped in her towel and looking at her phone as she listened to coffee brew. When she heard someone on the stairs, she expected to see Jade, but it was Trina.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” she cried. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Tori was worried something bad had actually happened. Had their parents called?

“I…” Trina grabbed the counter to brace herself while clutching at her chest. “I just saw...Jade’s boobs.”

Tori blinked. “I’m sorry _what_?”

“I just walked into the bathroom and there she was just…” Trina gestured to her own chest. “Boobs out.”

This couldn’t be real. “Trina, _I_ haven’t even seen Jade’s boobs.”

“ _Ew_. I don’t want to hear about that!” Trina exclaimed.

Tori flung up her hands. “You’re the one who brought it up!”

“Oh good, is she telling you all about how she barged in on me?” Jade asked, descending the stairs.

“Yeah, because she didn’t lock the door,” said Trina, suddenly interested in rummaging through the refrigerator.

“Jade, _I told you_ that you have to do that,” Tori said, still reeling from the fact that this had actually happened and her sister had seen her girlfriend basically naked. “She has no boundaries.”

“I’m sorry that I assumed she might be a regular human being who would _notice someone was in the bathroom_.” Jade was in the kitchen now, watching Tori who had her hands pressed to her forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just…” Tori shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m sorry that happened.”

“Kinda wishing it was you who walked in, aren’t you?” Jade asked, eyebrow peaked.

“I am _standing right here_!” Trina screamed, then stormed back upstairs.

Tori couldn’t stop herself from staring at Jade’s chest, even though it was fully covered by a black sleeveless t-shirt. She was actually jealous of Trina and she hated that. Jade smirked at her, giving her a moment before saying, “I can just show them to you if it’ll help.”

“Uh…” Tori actually considered saying yes, but then she realized that wasn’t how she wanted things to happen. She was pretty sure Jade probably had other ideas, as well. “You know what, I’m willing to wait.” Was that maybe the dumbest thing she’d ever said? Tori wasn’t sure. She turned and poured Jade a cup of coffee, then one for herself. Though, the last thing she needed was caffeine. She was plenty amped up, already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Una noche más_ by Jennifer Lopez.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode:
> 
> Cell Block (4.05)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> At the Jet Brew drive-thru, Jade placed her order and waited for Tori to tell her what she wanted, but Tori just said, “Oh, I’m fine.”
> 
> “What? Tori, just order.”
> 
> “No, I…” Embarrassed, Tori quickly said, “I don’t have any money.”
> 
> Jade’s brows furrowed. “It’s fine, I always pay with the app, anyway.”
> 
> “I don’t want you to think I just expect it, all the time.”
> 
> Jade turned to the speaked. “Can I get a large of whatever your grossly overloaded seasonal drink is?”
> 
> “ _So, that’s one large coffee, black with two sugars and one large Triple Chocolate Annihilator?_ ” came the voice through the speaker.
> 
> “Yep.” Jade pulled forward. “Okay, why are you being weird?” she asked Tori.
> 
> “I’m not! I’m just...I already burned through my allowance for _the month_ and it’s only the fifteenth.”
> 
> Jade flinched. “Ouch. What’d you spend it on? Moustaches?”
> 
> “No, when we got our phones back I kind of...went a little overboard on music and Sweets Party.”
> 
> “That stupid phone game?”
> 
> “I thought I was buying more lives for fifty-nine cents, but it was an upgrade package for fifty-nine dollars,” lamented Tori.
> 
> “I sure hope you’re having fun with that.”
> 
> Tori sagged in her seat. “I already used all my power-ups.”
> 
> Jade’s hand slid over to rest on Tori’s bare knee. She was wearing a dress today because the weather was warming up, but she hadn’t considered the added element of Jade’s touch on her skin. It was enough to make her smile, despite her financial situation. “I guess that means we’re probably spending the rest of the month having our date-nights in, huh?”
> 
> Tori knew Jade had no problem taking her out, but they were still both high school students with limited income. As it was, they’d already been splitting the cost of their dates and Tori couldn’t even afford that, right now. “I can already tell you’re planning out which horrifying movies you’re going to make me watch.” Her hand rested on top of Jade’s, whose thumb gently rubbed back and forth against Tori’s skin.
> 
> “We’d be doing that, anyway.” The line moved up, which meant Jade’s hand pulled away. 
> 
> The drink Jade had ordered here was a monstrosity covered in whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, which Tori happily accepted when Jade passed it to her with a frown. 
> 
> “ _You’re_ the one who ordered it!” Tori said, pulling off the straw wrapper and sipping the drink.
> 
> “And now that I’m looking at it, I predict you’ll have a combo sugar-caffeine crash by noon.”
> 
> “I guess we’ll see,” said Tori.


	6. And then smiles cover your heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note that the remaining chapters of this piece are going to begin to lean into the harder side of M rated content. Nothing too wild, just honest.

It was the week of the Full Moon Jam, and Jade was ready for it. She’d been thinking about what she would perform for a few weeks now, and she had something she was proud of prepared.

After the humiliating incident in the bathroom, she and Tori drank coffee and watched _Chopping Mall_ together, an 80s slasher movie that Jade was delighted to rediscover was full of shots of women’s breasts. Tori blushed and shrank into the sofa every time they appeared, to Jade’s amusement, and Trina even came downstairs during one scene and totally freaked out that she’d already seen far too many boobs to last her a lifetime.

Afterwards, they’d snuggled on the couch and talked for a little while. “Are you singing at the Full Moon Jam?” Jade asked Tori, because they hadn’t really talked about it yet, and it was happening on Wednesday.

Tori shrugged. “I don’t think so,” she said, “Andre asked me to write a song with him to perform at the Cow-Wow next weekend, and I don’t really think I have time to prepare two performances for this week. We’re already a little behind because of the craziness with our phones last week.” She looked at Jade, “What about you?”

“I am, yeah,” Jade nodded.

“Oh! Awesome!” She was actually gushing about it, which was cute. _She_ was cute, grinning at Jade, wearing those nerdy glasses. “I’m already excited to watch you perform.”

Jade was excited about it, too, but more excited to kiss her girlfriend than to keep talking about it.

The next day, Jade’s Monday was off to a surprisingly good start. She picked up Tori for school--they’d gotten in the habit of it being a daily thing when they couldn’t text and it seemed silly to stop now, especially since Jade lived pretty close. Tori seemed to really appreciate her low-cut, sleeveless dress, if the way her eyes lingered was any indication. And, when she stopped to get a soda during morning break, some guy in her history class had approached her to ask for his notes back and all she had to do was look at him to make him apologize and run away.

“Thanks, Braden,” she called after the fleeing boy, popping open her soda and swaggering past Tori’s locker, fully aware that she had Tori’s attention.

She was right, because Tori, who had been chatting with Beck, had abandoned that conversation and joined Jade at her locker, “What did you do to that boy?” she asked, but without the concern for others that Tori usually displayed. Instead, she sounded kind of awed.

“Nothing,” Jade smirked, handing Tori her soda while she dug around her locker. “Like, literally nothing, I just looked at him,” she clarified.

Tori took a sip of the soda and hummed. “Guys are so scared to talk to you,” she observed.

Jade wondered where she’d been the past few years. But then, Tori had never been afraid to talk to her, so maybe she hadn’t picked up on the fact that most other people were. “Yeah, that’s how I like it.” Jade replied, closing her locker.

Tori handed back her soda and ran her hand down Jade’s arm, linking their fingers at the end. “Yeah, they have no idea you’re such a sweetheart,” she cooed playfully.

“Don’t you dare,” Jade pulled her in to kiss her traitorous mouth.

She pulled away in time to notice Trina coming down the hall over Tori’s shoulder. She dropped Tori’s hand and stepped in front of Trina to block her path, thrusting her chest out, “Hey, Trina!” she called.

Trina’s eyes automatically dipped down and she looked horrified, “Oh my god!” she hollered, hurrying past her with her hand next to her face to block her vision. Jade followed her movements, keeping her chest pointed directly at her, until Trina was far enough down the hall, then turned and grabbed Tori’s hand to walk to their next class. Yep, Jade was in a pretty good mood today. Maybe being witch soup had actually reduced her anxiety.

“You know,” Tori said as they walked, “As much as I love Trina getting tortured, I kinda don’t love that your boobs keep getting associated with her.”

Okay. That was a good point. She wasn’t quite ready to give up her fun, but she’d make sure not to do it in front of Tori. “Yeah, that’s fair. I shouldn’t rub them, I mean, _it_ in your face.”

Now she had the other Vega sister blushing. What was happening today?

She and Tori sat together later that day in Sikowitz’s class. Beck was in charge of organizing the Full Moon Jam, and had found Jade early on in the day to ask if she was performing, so she was definitely in, having already tried to do a soundcheck but Sinjin couldn’t get the monitors to sound right. Which was possibly why Beck was talking to Sikowitz about picking up a new set of monitors that afternoon.

Jade let her fingers slip from Tori’s hand as she stood up to get closer to their conversation. “I want to go.”

Beck’s back was to her until he turned. “What, to Burbank?”

“Is that where the monitors are?” Jade asked, waving her hand.

“Yeah.”

“Then, yes.”

“Okay. But why?”

“I need to soundcheck them.”

“Jade, it's a warehouse. I’m pretty sure they’re not just going to let you--”

Jade crossed her arms. “They will.”

Beck shrugged. “Okay,” though he didn’t sound convinced.

It felt a lot like their dating relationship, her demanding something, him giving minimal resistance, her getting what she wanted. Jade sat back down with Tori, her hand resting on Tori’s knee, tapping it until Tori slipped her own hand back into Jade’s.

“You think you can get a ride home with your voyeur sister today?”

Tori nodded. “I think so, yeah.”

“Good.”

Both Beck and Jade had a free period at the end of the day, so they left before school let out to try and beat rush hour, but even with the lead time, the 101 freeway was always kind of a pain coming up out of Hollywood and into the Valley. This was the first time Jade had ridden in Beck’s car since they’d broken up. Everything about the Pontiac GTO seemed the same, the smell of the leather mixed with the tobacco and vanilla air freshener, the recently detailed dashboard (she was sure he still spent every Sunday morning wiping down every part of this car), and the hidden auxiliary jack that plugged in under the vintage car radio plate. She connected her PearPhone and scrolled for something that would make the traffic tolerable, settling on The White Stripes, because it was one of the bands they both could always agree on. But perhaps that was the wrong choice, because the familiarity of the car, the music, and the company made it feel like a strange alternate universe where she and Beck had never broken up. This could be them on a good day, Jade humming along to _The Hardest Button to Button_ as she dug around for her sunglasses in her bag, Beck tapping the steering wheel in time.

“So...you and Tori,” Beck said, shattering any sense of nostalgia.

Really, though, Jade welcomed it. “Yep. Me and Tori.”

“I’ve gotta say, I was kind of surprised,” he admitted. “Especially when you two went official.”

“Why then?”

“She’s just not…Tori doesn’t seem like someone you’d...”

“Date?”

“I mean, I guess. Yeah.”

“Beck, you and I have talked, like a million times, about how we both like girls and guys.” They’d not only spent plenty of conversations talking about this exact topic, but it was something they’d bonded over, fairly early on. It was always just playful discussion, really, because they were monogamous, but Jade knew what kind of guys Beck usually found attractive (which, hilariously, often looked a lot like him) and Beck knew Jade occasionally fantasized about women.

“Yeah, but--”

“--but you thought I was lying about it?”

“No! Not at all.”

“Then what?”

“I just...I didn’t think you’d date a girl seriously, is all.”

“Okay, so you didn’t think I’d be serious with Tori, _because she’s a girl_. Even though you’ve known I’m attracted to women for the entire time you’ve known me.”

Beck pressed his mouth together, the way he did when he actually had some kind of reaction to something. It was minimal, but it was an indicator. “That’s just not the way I am, so I thought it was the same with you.” He sighed. “Like, yeah, I’m attracted to certain guys and I’m interested in maybe hooking up but...I wouldn’t want to date them.”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to function the way you do? Beck doesn’t date dudes so Jade’s not supposed to get a girlfriend?”

Beck was actually starting to get a little heated. “Honestly, I didn’t expect that when we broke up that it would be the last time.”

 _Whoa_. Jade had a thousand responses she could have given. He’d started it. He’d announced his unhappiness with her on a fake tv game show in front of tens of people. He’d let her walk out the door of Tori’s house and never came back for her. But for as much as he’d done or hadn’t done, Jade was the one who moved on, as if it was something that had already been brewing, something she’d already known would happen. There was no way for her to know what role Tori would play, because up until that day in the library, none of it even included her. And even that had been a peripheral moment in the life of Jade and Beck’s relationship.

Jade said the only thing that really made sense, in retrospect. “Well...it was.”

There was silence between them, leaving The White Stripes to fill the space. They didn’t say much until they arrived at the warehouse where Jade insisted on them letting her soundcheck the monitors. Whatever Beck had been concerned about was easily overridden by Jade’s cleavage and she had a guy plugging everything in for her within minutes. Once she was satisfied with the sound quality, they loaded the monitors in the trunk and began the drive back. It was after three by now and the traffic was even worse.

“You should take Cahuenga instead,” Jade directed, knowing the surface streets would at least give them more options. Though, this time of day, it was always a pain to get from one side of the pass to the other.

There was a hesitance, like maybe Beck wanted to argue, but then he skipped the freeway entrance and stayed on the route to the street she’d suggested. She sent a text to Tori saying they were heading back, but that she had no idea how long it would take.

“So…” Oh god, he was gearing up for another round of questions, she could tell.

Jade groaned. “What?”

“Why Tori?”

“I don’t know, why not Tori?”

“Uh, because you used to fight with her all the time?”

“And now I don’t.” Well, they’d still had some moments. “Not as much, anyway.” Her phone buzzed, a reply from Tori about how Trina was still talking about her boobs.

Beck glanced over at her. “Really, though. I’m not trying to be an asshole, I’m just curious about what changed.”

“I don’t know. I just know that I’m happy.”

He scoffed. “But you hate being happy.”

“I _like_ being happy with Tori.” She’d said it to make a point to him, but it resonated with herself, too.

They were quiet, again, as he navigated the streets, moving closer to Hollywood.

When he spoke again, he said, “Honestly, I can tell. That you’re happy.”

“Then why are you giving me such a hard time about it?”

“Because it’s weird to see you being...like, Fun Jade, with someone other than me. And I don’t just mean Tori, I mean, you’re a little less harsh, all around.”

“Are you trying to hurt me?” Jade asked. But she appreciated what he meant. And, yeah, maybe Tori had softened her up a little bit. It was hard to want to destroy nearly everyone when she had Tori by her side.

“Oh, like I didn’t see you almost make Braden cry this morning. I didn’t say you’d completely lost your ability to terrorize.”

“That’s right.”

By the time they pulled back into the lot at Hollywood Arts, Jade felt better about where things were with Beck than she had since, well, the break-up. She knew he’d still say and do things that annoyed her, but that was because she knew him so well. But it was nice to know that maybe they could get to work on being actual friends.

It seemed that, as a response to actually making progress with Beck, her subconscious wanted to play games with her. That night, she had a realistic nightmare that Tori and Andre had teamed up and paid a guy to ask her out as some kind of ploy to help Beck date another girl. It was one of those dreams that felt incredibly real until, after she woke up, she considered the part where she’d threatened to kill both Tori and Andre with toilet paper. What was most unsettling about it, though, was the part where Tori was so adamant about setting her up with a guy. Even by the morning, after she’d had her coffee and driven to Tori’s to pick her up, she was still in a weird mood about it.

“Hey,” Tori said, beaming at Jade as she took her seat in the car. She leaned over to kiss Jade, but stopped when Jade didn’t make the move to meet her. “What?”

“I had a weird dream where you paid a guy to ask me out,” Jade said, flatly.

“I what?” Tori laughed. “ _Why_ would I do that?” When Jade still didn’t reply, Tori leaned back. “Jade, it was a dream, I had nothing to do with it.” Which, okay, yeah, Jade knew was the reality of all this. It just put her in a weird headspace. Tori continued. “And...trust me, I’m not planning to convince anyone else to go out with you. I’m pretty invested in what we have going on.”

Jade relaxed as Tori spoke. This was stupid. Why was she letting a dream get to her? “Fine. Kiss me and make it better.”

Tori happily complied and Jade decided that it must have worked because she _did_ feel better.

-

At the Jet Brew drive-thru, Jade placed her order and waited for Tori to tell her what she wanted, but Tori just said, “Oh, I’m fine.”

“What? Tori, just order.”

“No, I…” Embarrassed, Tori quickly said, “I don’t have any money.”

Jade’s brows furrowed. “It’s fine, I always pay with the app, anyway.”

“I don’t want you to think I just expect it, all the time.”

Jade turned to the speaker. “Can I get a large of whatever your grossly overloaded seasonal drink is?”

“ _So, that’s one large coffee, black with two sugars and one large Triple Chocolate Annihilator?_ ” came the voice through the speaker.

“Yep.” Jade pulled forward. “Okay, why are you being weird?” she asked Tori.

“I’m not! I’m just...I already burned through my allowance for _the month_ and it’s only the fifteenth.”

Jade flinched. “Ouch. What’d you spend it on? Moustaches?”

“No, when we got our phones back I kind of...went a little overboard on music and Sweets Party.”

“That stupid phone game?”

“I thought I was buying more lives for fifty-nine cents, but it was an upgrade package for fifty-nine dollars,” lamented Tori.

“I sure hope you’re having fun with that.”

Tori sagged in her seat. “I already used all my power-ups.”

Jade’s hand slid over to rest on Tori’s bare knee. She was wearing a dress today because the weather was warming up, but she hadn’t considered the added element of Jade’s touch on her skin. It was enough to make her smile, despite her financial situation. “I guess that means we’re probably spending the rest of the month having our date-nights in, huh?”

Tori knew Jade had no problem taking her out, but they were still both high school students with limited income. As it was, they’d already been splitting the cost of their dates and Tori couldn’t even afford that, right now. “I can already tell you’re planning out which horrifying movies you’re going to make me watch.” Her hand rested on top of Jade’s, whose thumb gently rubbed back and forth against Tori’s skin.

“We’d be doing that, anyway.” The line moved up, which meant Jade’s hand pulled away.

The drink Jade had ordered her was a monstrosity covered in whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, which Tori happily accepted when Jade passed it to her with a frown.

“ _You’re_ the one who ordered it!” Tori said, pulling off the straw wrapper and sipping the drink.

“And now that I’m looking at it, I predict you’ll have a combo sugar-caffeine crash by noon.”

“I guess we’ll see,” said Tori.

By morning break, she was flying high on the buzz from the drink, which had been great for her energy in her Vocal Performance class, but now she was digging through her locker, trying to find the five dollars she was sure she’d left tucked away for an emergency, so she could buy lunch later. When Andre approached her, Tori had books and notebooks scattered at her feet and she still hadn’t located the money.

“Looking for something?” he asked.

“Yes!” Tori explained her financial status, about how she was short on cash, that she needed money for things like, “Jeans, make-up, special cheese, a new purse.”

“Wait, wait. Why do you need special cheese?” Andre asked.

“You know I don’t like regular cheese!” While Tori did prefer the fancier cheeses, this was a lot of the sugar and caffeine talking. She was losing her mind, crashing as her body processed the Triple Chocolate Annihilator, and _she still needed to make some money_.

Andre, like the good friend he was, suggested she pick up a temporary shift on Saturday at Yotally Togurt, handing out free samples of a new frozen yogurt product. Just one problem, they were both supposed to sing at the Cow-Wow Dance on Saturday.

“Oh, it’s cool,” Andre assured her. “We’ll be done with work at eight so we can get here by nine and do the song, no problem.”

“Then okay!” Tori agreed. She’d make some money, show up at the dance on time to sing. This was perfect.

Except, she’d forgotten about one little detail.

“ _Tori_ ,” despite Jade’s exasperated tone, she still held the door to Sikowitz’s classroom open for her. “You do realize the Cow-Wow is our first dance, right? Like, as a couple.”

Tori had _not_ realized that. “I...no.” She’d never really had any actual dates to a school event before, so she hadn’t thought about it. “I'm sorry?” she offered, taking her seat.

Jade was visibly upset, though she seemed to be trying to keep it contained. Maybe not very well, given the way she glared at Robbie when he turned around to look at her. “Face the front!” she commanded and Robbie turned back around with a squeak.

“We’ll still have an hour together,” said Tori. “After I sing.”

“So I’m supposed to spend _half the dance_ just being a loser by myself?” Jade challenged.

Okay. This was a part of dating Jade that Tori had been anticipating, but she’d been naive enough to hope that maybe they wouldn’t argue like this, the way she’d seen Jade and Beck bicker a thousand times. She thought maybe they understood each other better or that it might be different because they were both girls. Obviously, that was not the case. Jade, no matter who she was with, was still _Jade_.

And Tori was still Tori, who had to live her life and make her choices. “You think I wouldn’t rather be at the dance with you instead of having to go to work? But I have to make money, somehow.” She could tell everyone was watching them without trying to look at them. “And it’s a dance, at school, with our friends. It’s not like you’re stuck with strangers.”

Jade’s arms were crossed and her gaze was fixed straight ahead. But Tori noticed when Jade’s eyes flitted in her direction, followed by a sigh. “ _Beck_!”

He was sitting over to their right. “Uh, what?”

“Will you hang out with me for half of the dance on Saturday while Tori’s at work?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

The bell rang and Sikowitz entered the classroom, immediately instructing Cat and Andre to take the stage.

Jade’s shoulders had relaxed a bit and, after a moment, Tori felt Jade’s thumb poking at her leg. She looked down to see Jade’s waiting hand, palm upward. Tori placed her own hand over it. There were still things they needed to talk about, but it seemed that maybe they’d just navigated their first public argument as girlfriends and survived.

Jade had to stay after school to rehearse for the Full Moon Jam, so Tori caught a ride home with Trina for the second day in a row. It wasn’t a huge deal, because she used to ride with Trina to and from school all the time, but it did kind of suck that she and Jade weren’t getting much time together this week. Between Jade preparing for the Full Moon Jam, Tori and Andre planning to spend several evenings this week prepping their song for the Cow-Wow, and Tori having to work on Saturday, she wondered if they’d even have a chance to do more than good morning kisses and stolen smooches at their lockers. Hell, with the ride to Burbank on Monday and with spending half the dance with Jade on Saturday, it even seemed likely that Beck would end up spending more time with Jade this week than Tori would, which, she wasn’t _jealous_ about it, per se, but it was a odd factor she couldn’t ignore, especially after Jade being so weird about her nightmare and the reality of their first public fight.

But Tori had shared a quick goodbye kiss at her locker with Jade before going to meet Trina at her car, and though Jade still seemed a little weird, it felt to Tori like she was already in performance headspace, and a little hyper-focused on rehearsing her song. Come to think of it, Jade didn’t do a lot of solo performances. Maybe she was nervous? It didn’t sound like Jade, but Tori was still discovering new things about her.

On the ride home, even Trina wanted to talk about Jade. “You have got to tell your girlfriend to control her boobs,” Trina said emphatically as she navigated traffic.

Tori thought back to the shirt Jade had been wearing that day, a long-sleeved camouflage patterned henley with almost all the top buttons undone. She’d certainly had her gaze drawn to the hint of cleavage the shirt revealed, but she didn’t think it was particularly scandalous. “And _why_ are you looking at them?” she asked Trina, “She wasn’t even wearing anything that low cut today.”

“Oh my god, I am _not_ looking,” Trina sputtered, “She keeps _thrusting_ them at me every time she sees me!”

Tori bit her lip to keep from laughing. That had happened _once_ , and Trina needed to calm down, “Please, she is not paying that much attention to you,” Tori scoffed.

“She _is_!” Trina insisted, “And I don’t need the whole school thinking that she’s sleeping with _both of us_!”

This was mind-boggling. “Okay, first of all, she’s not even sleeping with me,” Trina made a horrified sound, and Tori pressed on, “Second, absolutely no one thinks you and Jade are sleeping together,” Tori continued, as Trina made an indignant sound, “ _And_ , she did that to you exactly once, and it wasn’t a big deal. _You’re_ the one who walked in on her!”

Trina laughed wildly, “Ohohoho, Tori, it has _not_ happened once, it has happened _much more than once_! You need to tell her to leave me alone!”

Okay, that was news to her. “I’m not telling Jade what to do with her boobs. It’s her body,” Tori told her sister reasonably, if sharply, “And besides, I can’t control her, anyway.”

“Oh, Tori,” Trina’s tone had shifted drastically, and she looked at her pityingly, “You mean you haven’t figured out how to get her to do what you want yet?” She shook her head. “You have a lot to learn about relationships.”

“What are you even _talking_ about?!” Tori was getting agitated. Her sister’s condescension was always annoying, but even more so in this context. “Relationships aren’t about _controlling_ people!”

Trina parked the car in the driveway and turned to give her a rueful look, “Aren’t they, though?”

“No!” Tori insisted. Still, she pulled out her phone to text Jade as she followed Trina into the house.

**So, Trina claims you’re harassing her with your boobs**

She didn’t know how busy Jade was, but by the time she got up to her room and started unpacking her bag, there was a reply.

**Wow, she’s still talking about them?**

**Guess they’re pretty unforgettable**

Tori shook her head in amusement, though her mouth thinned a little in frustration. A part of her still regretted not just taking Jade up on her offer to see them.

**I don’t doubt it**

**But she says you keep pointing them at her**

**Like the time I saw, I guess**

Tori checked in with Andre while she waited for a reply. He would be coming over in about an hour for them to start working on their song for the Cow-Wow. His emcee duties for the Full Moon Jam didn’t require as much rehearsal time. Meanwhile, Jade had replied.

**I can neither confirm nor deny that**

**I just want Trina to stop talking about them**

**It’s weird**

**She’ll stop**

**You’re the only one I want looking, anyway**

Tori wondered if it would be so simple. But then, she was also smiling to herself and thinking about Jade’s cleavage, and okay, she probably should get started on her homework before Andre showed up.

-

Jade came to pick up Tori the next morning for school. She was already buzzing, though not just from the half a pot of coffee she’d consumed before even leaving her house. The Full Moon Jam was tonight, and Jade was definitely excited about that.

Tori slid into the passenger’s seat and leaned over to give Jade a kiss good morning. They hadn’t had a chance to make out for days, and Jade had to make a conscious effort to keep the kiss brief so they would be sure to have time to swing by Jet Brew before school. This was a unique problem; it was usually too early for them to get really wrapped up in making out. But now Jade wondered how they’d make it through the day.

Tori seemed to be surveying her outfit, fingers running down Jade’s bare arm. She was wearing jeans and layered tank tops today, black over blue-green, but with a higher neckline than she usually wore. Jade didn’t really mind the touching, though she was driving, and Tori usually kept her hands to herself unless they were at a stoplight. “Having fun there?” she asked.

“Just enjoying your arms,” Tori admitted, “Though, when I said Trina needed to stop talking about your boobs, I didn’t think that would mean they’d be covered up _completely_.”

“Hey, I did say I only wanted you looking. Maybe you should be patient.”

Tori flushed bright red, her arm resting on the center console now. “What does _that_ mean?”

Jade shot her a smirk, “Maybe I’m just giving the girls a rest before tonight. Then, trust me, you can look. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.”

“I’m not sure I could get any _fonder_ of them,” Tori said coyly.

Jade pulled into the Jet Brew drive through line. This morning conversation was getting much more intense than usual, and she took in Tori’s appearance. Weird, flowery jeans, a white t-shirt with a trippy black kaleidoscopic design, topped with a little red cardigan. Oh, and Jade’s bracelet. Ugh, she was cute. And it was no use denying that they needed some time and some contact, so Jade put the car in park and closed the distance between them, bringing Tori closer with a hand on her jaw.

As she expected, Tori responded eagerly, leaning hard over the center console, hands grabbing at Jade’s upper arm and bunching in the fabric of her top at her hip. Jade let the kisses grow deeper, more intense, knowing this wouldn’t be enough to sate them, knowing she might just be stoking fires that couldn’t be extinguished.

Jade liked to have a plan, and with regard to Tori, she had one, for the way she wanted certain parts of their relationship to play out. Not, like, for _everything_ , but for some of the important stuff. The problem was, when Tori was looking especially good in red, and kissing her like she’d never get enough of her, and caressing her arms in ways that made Jade feel her touch all over her skin, well...it made her want to throw her plans out the window, and just let the moment overtake her.

But instead, she pulled herself back, enough to realize it was time to move the car forward. She pulled up, behind the car at the ordering speaker, and, to keep the situation under control, she asked Tori, “What do you want today?”

Tori, who seemed to be trying to catch her breath and was clearly pretty flustered, said, “Vanilla latte.”

Jade raised her eyebrow, “You don’t want another Triple Chocolate Annihilator?”

Tori shook her head, “No, that was...kind of a lot.”

Jade snorted, “I told you.”

“You’re the one who ordered it for me!”

“Because you wouldn’t make a decision!”

Tori groaned and slumped back in her seat. Jade pulled up to the ordering speaker and ordered her usual coffee and Tori’s vanilla latte. It was basic, but at least it wasn’t repulsive.

Jade’s mind wandered to the Full Moon Jam as she slowly navigated the drive through line, her fingers drumming the steering wheel thoughtlessly in a way that would have annoyed her if someone else were doing it. She supposed Tori must’ve noticed, because she said, “Are you nervous?”

“About getting coffee?”

“About tonight. Singing at the Full Moon Jam.”

“No.” She wasn’t nervous about that, at least not the way she thought Tori meant it. She was concerned about performing her best, and about how people would react to her song.

Tori reached out and took her hand. Jade squeezed it. Now that she was focused on the evening, she was stuck there, but Tori took her silence in stride. They were learning about each other, that was for sure. This moment, now, with the quiet between them. Their heated argument yesterday, about the dance. They were both examples of them figuring out how to read the other, knowing when to push back or when to just leave it alone. But maybe that was something they’d already been working on, even before they were girlfriends or dating or kind-of-friends-who-kissed.

The day passed quickly for Jade, and aside from the couple of classes they shared and some time at their lockers between them, she didn’t see much of Tori. She’d even spent most of the lunch period rehearsing her song for the Full Moon Jam in the music room, giving herself only enough time for a quick burrito from the Grub Truck.

Tori was getting a ride home with Andre so they could get as much work done on their song for the Cow-Wow as possible before coming back to school for the Full Moon Jam. Although of course it sucked to not even have driveway time with Tori for the third day in a row, it just didn’t make sense to do it, when Andre was going there anyway, and Jade had to go home, change clothes, and eat before coming back to school for final rehearsals of the songs and sound check at six.

-

Andre left Tori’s place just before six o’clock. They’d made good progress on their songwriting, giving them the rest of the week to polish it up for the dance. Tori hadn’t heard too much from Jade with everything going on, so she shot her a text, just to check in.

**Andre just left**

**We’re probably leaving in about 20**

**See you soon!** 😘

About five minutes later, Jade sent back a reply.

**Tell your sister these aren’t about her**

😉

The text was accompanied by a selfie of Jade, dressed for the stage in a black corset and, while she did have a blue spaghetti strap tank top on under it, her cleavage was very…prominent. The quirked eyebrow only added to the sexiness. Tori immediately saved it as Jade’s contact picture in her phone.

**Wow**

**That’s quite a look**

**Maybe you’ll get to do more than look**

Okay _that_ was...a lot. Tori stared at the picture, feeling desire swirl through her. She had no idea how to respond to that, only knew that the need to touch Jade was growing with every day they spent mostly apart. She decided she could only really keep her reply succinct.

**I can’t wait**

She changed out of her school clothes and into a different pair of floral jeans (she was into florals right now, okay?) and a pink shimmery top (that, okay, exposed the slightest hint of midriff) which she paired with a dark brown faux leather jacket to offset the bright color of the shirt.

On the drive back to school, Tori found herself looking at the picture a few times, until Trina caught her.

“Can you stop drooling over your girlfriend for, like, five minutes?” she asked with an exaggerated eye roll.

“I’m not…” But Tori _was_ , so she decided to just tuck her phone into her purse. They were practically at Hollywood Arts, anyway.

The second the car stopped, Tori was out the door and in search of her friends. Beck was talking with Meredith, a girl Tori knew from songwriting class, Robbie and Cat were seated near the soundboard, and Andre was on stage talking to some of the students involved in the show.

Jade was probably backstage, since Tori didn’t see her anywhere. She was about to text that she was by the snack table but she received a text from Jade before she had a chance.

**I see you by the snacks**

**Save me one of those cupcakes**

Tori glanced around, but she still couldn’t see her. She eyed the spread of snack foods in front of her and spotted the cupcakes Jade must be talking about. They did actually look really good. Tori took one of the plastic cups meant for the punch and placed a cupcake inside.

**Got it**

**How are you feeling about your song?**

**Good, I think**

She poured herself a cup of punch while she waited for the Jam to kick off. Beck wandered over to her to make some small talk before returning to his seat, just as Andre took the stage.

One more text came through.

**Pay attention.**

Tori assumed Jade meant the stage. Or maybe she meant the song. But, that was the entire point, right? To watch?

“Okay, people,” Andre announced, “let’s heat things up for Jade West!”

For as much as Tori had enjoyed seeing the picture of Jade in her outfit for the show, seeing her in person was about a thousand times more effective. It was also the energy she was throwing off, her stage presence, the thrum of the music underneath all of it.

When Jade approached the microphone, she quickly said, “This is for Tori,” which was unexpected because students weren’t supposed to make dedications during live performances. It was apparently common practice for a long time, but it ultimately caused too much drama at one point, so it was part of school policy that they didn’t do it.

But then, this was Jade.

The song began and Tori paid attention, as instructed, to the lyrics, but also to the way Jade moved around the stage like a rock star, strutting as she sang. Tori knew from performing alongside her that Jade had incredible stage chemistry, that she could tap in and emote whatever the music called for with seeming effortlessness. But being in the audience and watching her felt far different. Especially when Jade’s energy was directed right at her.

And this was very clearly a song about the push and pull of relationships, Jade’s version of what it meant to let someone in. Okay, now Tori was really, absolutely, definitely _paying attention_. Everything around her faded out and all she saw was Jade on that stage, working the mic stand, looking sexy as hell, singing _to Tori_.

The final chord rang out and Jade still held Tori’s gaze as she placed the microphone back into the stand. She finally broke the eyeline to accept the applause, but she quickly exited the stage and moved right for where Tori was standing.

As soon as Jade was within earshot, Tori began to say, “That was so incredib--” But the instant Jade was close enough, her hands were on both sides of Tori’s face, pulling her in for a kiss. Tori still had her punch in her hand, but she groped around for the table so she could set it down, then wrapped both arms around Jade to deepen the kiss. It was just one (intense) kiss, but it was enough to draw a smattering of applause from the people around them.

When it broke, Jade said, “I need to show you something.”

“Okay,” Tori replied, unsure what was about to happen, but there was a sense of excitement behind it. “Um, did you want your cupcake?” she asked, picking up the cupped cake from the table.

“Yeah,” Jade took it with one hand and Tori with the other and began moving with purpose toward the school entrance. They stopped in the hallway just long enough for Jade to stow the cupcake in her locker, then they were on the stairs to the second floor.

“Where are we going?” Tori asked.

“The roof,” said Jade, casually.

Sure enough, one more turn down the hall then up another flight of stairs and they were on top of the school, looking down at the stage for the Full Moon Jam that had continued in their absence. “I’ve never been up here, before.” It was much higher up than the raised stage above the Asphalt Cafe they used for so many performances.

“Good,” said Jade, “then I can show you around.” She gestured in the direction of the concert-in-progress. “The Full Moon Jam, which will be back to being a parking lot, tomorrow.” Her hand found Tori’s and she led her to another spot on the roof. “Over here is where I once made a girl cry because I told her she’d never make it as a singer.”

“Oh my god, did you really?”

“I’d like to say I’m not proud of it, but...she was terrible.”

“Was it Trina?” Tori asked.

“No, but I can make that happen if we want to bring her up here.”

Tori gave her a heavily skeptical look. “Is this really what you wanted to show me? Your greatest hits in terrorizing people?”

“Aw, that’s not thrilling enough for you?” Jade put her hands on Tori’s shoulders and spun her to face the other direction. “How about the world famous Hollywood sign?” Her arms slid around Tori and her chin rested on Tori’s shoulder.

Tori leaned back into her, sighing contentedly. Jade’s hands were clasped against her stomach, with Tori’s hands resting on top of them. “Okay, that’s pretty cool.” They saw the sign all the time, but it was still such an iconic sight, especially lit up like it was, right now.

Jade held her like that for a good long minute, then Tori heard her inhale deeply, “Tori?”

“Yeah?” Tori tipped her head, but with Jade’s positioning, there was no way to actually look at her. But she didn’t need to see Jade to hear what she said next.

“I love you.” It was quiet, but direct, the arms around her squeezing a bit more tightly.

The rush of warmth and excitement through her body was physical, but Tori also felt it in her chest, her heart full to the brim and aching with the emotional weight of it. For as much as Tori had thought about the possibility of this happening, she had always pictured it the other way around. Instead, Jade had dedicated a performance to her, kissed her in front of everyone, and brought her up to the rooftop to declare her love like they were in some kind of old movie. Her girlfriend, Jade West, the hopeless romantic (and still a sadist, but that was beside the point).

Tori twisted in Jade’s embrace, loosening their connection, but only briefly. As soon as they faced each other, her arms slid over Jade’s shoulders. She kissed her, squarely and purposefully, then let her head drop a little, her forehead against Jade’s.

“I love you, too.”

-

Jade had started writing that song about two months ago, around the time she and Tori had started scheduling Driveway Time. Songwriting, at least at seventeen, was this weird hybrid of real feelings and storytelling, so it could be easy to write a song about something that didn’t actually mean anything beyond some initial inspiration. But it was also easy to write something that was, without a doubt, a direct response to life. Tori had pushed Jade for a lot longer than they’d been anything but barely friends. But the last few months had gelled into something far beyond that, something that made Jade excited to check her phone every morning (except for that one hellacious technology-absent week that had just passed) and reluctant to finally put it aside at night.

She was, apparently, in love with Tori Vega.

And Tori had just said it back.

Jade kept Tori close, feeling like they were cocooned in their own little bubble, secluded where only they and their love existed. She kissed her chin, her cheek, her lips and they swayed, slow-dancing to the far-too-upbeat song playing down below. They stumbled at one point, laughing as they finally pulled apart. “I guess we need to keep up the dance lessons.” And why were they so terrible at this? They could dance just fine on their own, when they were performing.

“You know,” Tori said, her hand settled on Jade’s shoulder, playing with her hair. “I’m pretty sure I’m the one who said it first.”

“That we need dance lessons?”

Tori chewed her bottom lip. “That I love you.”

Jade was positive she would have remembered anything like that. She’d planned an entire moment around telling Tori tonight because she wanted to be clear about her feelings. “You did not.” Her brow furrowed as she asked, “When?”

Tori took a step back, looking Jade square in the eye. Her voice dropped lower and suddenly Jade heard Walter saying, “I love you.”

Jade grabbed Tori by the wrist and pulled her back in, wrapped both arms around her in a bear hug and said, “I...am going to _throw you_ off this rooftop!”

Tori protested and wriggled and laughed, ultimately making Jade laugh with her. When they finally calmed, arms still looped around each other, Tori confessed with a sort of dreamy, contented sigh, “I’d hoped this was why you brought me up here.”

“Oh, so you’re saying you didn’t appreciate the tour?”

“The tour was a nice bonus,” Tori conceded.

“Well, this part of the tour is over,” Jade decided, kissing her again. Laughing and playfully wrestling had brought back the awareness that although they were alone on the rooftop, there was still a concert going on below them, and plenty of students nearby.

They still kissed for long enough for things to start heating up, not that it was hard. Jade’s hands were starting to slide over the strip of exposed skin between Tori’s belt and her shirt, when Tori pulled away. Jade was surprised she even remembered what they had been talking about, because she barely did. “What’s the next part of the tour?” Tori asked breathlessly.

Jade’s eye caught the bright Hollywood sign over Tori’s shoulder, and she knew exactly what was next.

-

Jade was driving them through the hills, and Tori didn’t have to ask where they were going. Instead, she played with Jade’s PearTunes, trying to find something to fit the mood, but it was nearly impossible. She felt like infinite space had opened up within her body, swirling with emotions new and old and sensations heavy and light all at the same time. It was hard to choose a song that could match the sheer intensity of the emotion in her body, the feelings that were so powerful she thought they were literally radiating from her skin, so that anyone who looked at her would be able to say, that girl is in _love_.

They’d already been kissing, but Tori still shook out two cinnamon mints from the rattling tin in the cupholder, taking one for herself and passing the second to Jade. Tori wondered if she’d ever again not connect the flavor of cinnamon candy to the sense memory of kissing her girlfriend.

Jade was focused on driving, but everything about her seemed to reflect what Tori was carrying, the giddiness that felt like it was powering all the cells of her body. Jade’s shoulders were almost relaxed, or as relaxed as they could get considering Tori knew they were literally stone, and her expression was soft, the corners of her mouth even turned up a little. Tori was certain very few people had ever seen Jade look like this, and she treasured that.

When Jade pulled into their overlook, it was no surprise, and Tori was already smiling at the memory of the important nights they’d already spent there. Including last week, when they’d danced to the hand-crank radio, and the feelings that had been building in Tori for a long time were starting to truly make themselves known. She knew that if Jade hadn’t enacted her plan tonight, that it probably wouldn’t be long until Tori told her that she loved her anyway, and, knowing herself, it would probably have been at some inopportune time, like when Jade was trying to be human soup, or before she’d had enough coffee. But she loved that Jade had said it first, and she loved that Jade had made it something so special. She’d never forget this night for as long as she lived. She’d never forget what it felt like to be loved by Jade West.

Tori heard Jade pull the parking brake, and then she turned to look at Tori, her eyes seeming to pull her in. “Come here,” Jade whispered, but Tori was already closing the distance between them.

-

Days of waiting collided with fresh, raw emotion as the two of them kissed in the front seat, the city lights glowing bright below them and the headlights of passing cars occasionally washing over them. Tori was very vocal for someone whose mouth was occupied, emitting desperate little sounds that Jade felt reverberate through her own body in pangs of desire. She reached again for that enticing sliver of skin where Tori’s tank top stopped, wanting to feel Tori’s hot flesh under her hands, wanting to pull her as close as she could get. Tori’s hands were everywhere--in Jade’s hair, sliding over her corset, gripping her upper arms, grabbing at the fabric at the top of her skirt. Jade let her hand start to slide beneath Tori’s shirt, over her stomach and around to her back.

Tori pulled away and started wriggling out of the faux leather jacket she was wearing so she was down to a pink top that was so bright and sparkly that it almost hurt Jade’s eyes without the jacket. She tossed her jacket on the floor, eyes still focused hungrily on Jade. Jade's voice was almost a growl as she said, “Get in the back seat.”

“Oh, right,” Tori breathed, and immediately started crawling over the center console to tumble behind the driver’s seat.

Jade guessed they didn’t have time for doors tonight. Not that she disagreed as she followed Tori and crossed over behind the passenger’s seat. It was a little cumbersome, with her boots, but like Tori, she managed.

They slid closer together in the back seat, already wrapping arms around each other to resume kissing. Tori’s hand kept moving over her corset, fingers pressing against the tops of Jade’s breasts, but Jade was focused on getting under Tori’s sparkly pink top, her hand already skimming up Tori’s side to cup a hand over her bra, the other hand running over the soft skin of her lower back. She heard Tori’s breath change, matching the motion of Jade’s hand over her breast, and Jade tipped her head to the side as Tori’s mouth began tracing her jaw and kissing all over her neck. The needy sound she made surprised her.

When Tori finally lifted her head after kissing what felt like every inch of Jade’s neck, she was pushing gently against Jade’s shoulder, and she issued a very direct request, “Lie back.”

They both had to shift and move for Jade to comply, their boots knocking together as she lay down on the back seat, Tori kneeling over her. Tori leaned down to kiss her, shirt already sliding up her back, and Jade let her hands help it along and then slide to the front of Tori’s body, both now caressing her breasts through her bra. Tori moaned against her lips, then pulled away, sitting up again, and Jade watched in awe as Tori began pulling off the pink top.

There was so much skin to feast her eyes on, and though she’d just seen Tori in a bikini last weekend, this was so different that Jade let her eyes flick all over a topless Tori--well, topless save for the white bra, which was such a virginal thing to wear that Jade almost laughed. But as her eyes took in the lines of her collarbones, the planes of her stomach, the curves of her waist and her breasts, Jade was already taking action of her own, and pulling the zipper of her corset down her sternum.

As soon as the corset was open, Tori’s hands were on her, tugging at the blue tank top, finding Jade’s skin beneath it. Jade was overwhelmed with desire, and Tori’s hands were moving fast up her body, but Jade gained her head in time to start speaking, “You should know, I’m not wearing a--”

-

Tori’s hand curved over Jade’s full, bare breast beneath her tank top at the same moment Jade uttered, “--bra.”

Tori froze entirely, barely aware of anything except the soft flesh beneath her palm, the hard nipple between two of her fingers. “Oh--my--god,” she got out between staggering gasps of air. She still wasn’t moving, still couldn’t quite process what was happening. She finally focused on Jade’s face. Her mouth was parted slightly, her eyebrow cocked. “Is...is this okay?” Tori asked.

Jade nodded, tongue peeking out to wet her lips. “Yeah,” she said, her voice sounding raw. “The corset was what was holding everything up,” she explained unnecessarily, because Tori got that _now_ , she just never would have anticipated Jade without a bra. Oh my god. She was touching Jade’s _bare breast_.

Tori began to move her hand, spreading her fingers, trying to encompass as much of the soft flesh as she could. There was an aching in her stomach, an impulse of need, as she slowly moved her hand over Jade’s breast, feeling the ache build. She ran her fingers over Jade’s nipple, letting two of them close around it and trace over it, too light to be a pinch or a tug, but she heard Jade’s shaky inhale at the contact.

One of Jade’s hands was sliding up over her ribs, and Tori felt fingers at the bottom of her bra, dipping beneath the fabric, “Is this okay?” Jade asked, clearly requesting further access.

Tori nodded, “Yeah. As long as it stays on. I don’t need things to be too embarrassing if the cops show up.”

“So does that mean you want me to keep these in the dark?” Jade teased, gesturing at her own chest.

Tori groaned, because she _didn’t_ , at all, but…”Yeah,” she said, _very_ reluctantly. “If there’s a public indecency charge, I won’t be able to hide that from my dad.”

Jade snorted as if she thought Tori was being ridiculous, “All right,” she said softly, “They’ll be waiting for you, whenever you’re ready.”

Tori was about to sputter that she _was_ ready, it was just--and then Jade’s fingers were slipping further beneath her bra, and Jade’s hand was curving over Tori’s breast.

They stared at each other as their hands moved, for just a moment, feeling the excitement build between them as they exhaled breathy almost-moans, and then Tori surged forward to kiss Jade, other hand on the door to give her leverage. She felt Jade’s other arm curl around her back, pulling her closer. Tori struggled to find a way to bring her hips close to Jade’s as she straddled her leg, wanting to feel them move together, and adjusted her lower body, bringing one knee up, angling her other thigh down, and felt with a shock to her system to way their bodies connected as she lowered her hips.

Jade was already moving, lifting her thigh to press deliberately between Tori’s legs, and _oh god_ , it felt like every part of that area was pressed against Jade. Tori responded in kind, and they built a rhythm together, her thigh pressing into Jade through the frills of her skirt--neither of them had the sense or the free hand to move it.

-

Everything was building so fast, with the hands on each other’s breasts, the frenetic but deliberate way Tori was moving her hips, the way Jade could feel the apex of Tori’s thigh press against her even through all the layers of fabric. And the way Tori was kissing her, wild and passionate. Jade didn’t think they were going to stop this time, and there was no reason to, and she felt hot and eager and like she wanted so much, and oh, god, she loved this girl.

Except.

As their bodies moved, everything escalating, something was drawing Jade out of the moment, and it took her some time to realize that it was discomfort, and not the kind she could maybe enjoy. Jade tried to ignore it, focusing on the sounds Tori was making, the way Tori was kissing her throat, the heat of Tori’s skin, but something about the angle of Tori’s hips had changed slightly, and it was getting worse. She had to say something. “Tori,” Jade murmured.

“Hmm?” Tori hummed against her throat.

Jade realized what it was as she verbalized it, “Your belt...is digging into my hip.”

Tori lifted her body, glancing down at the offending garment. “Do you want me to take it off?” she asked.

 _Oh, god_. That just brought to mind things Jade didn’t think either of them were ready for, but she also didn’t know if they’d be able to stop themselves. The lights from a passing car illuminated Tori’s hair, and she remembered they weren’t quite as alone as they felt. She took a deep, steadying breath, and Tori, who seemed to notice the passing car, too, apparently shared her hesitation, because she was already lifting herself off of Jade, and urging her to sit up. Jade let the corset come off as she sat up--honestly, that hadn’t been the most comfortable thing to have half on, either.

Tori drew Jade into her arms, and they began kissing deeply again, but the trajectory of everything had changed with their position. Her hands were still all over Tori’s skin, and Tori had found her way back under Jade’s tank top to her breast, but without the motion of their lower bodies, they were able to let their kisses slowly smolder down, taking their time to touch and enjoy each other, until they were holding each other in the back seat, nuzzling each other’s necks.

“I love you.” It was Tori who murmured it first this time, punctuated by a kiss on Jade’s pulse point.

“I love you,” Jade echoed, feeling the impact of it like it inhabited the marrow of her very bones. A memory from what now felt like ages ago surfaced in Jade’s mind, one of them in the front seat, exchanging the same words, but as Nancy and Walter, followed by repeated excuses to kiss each other. That really had been the start of it all, hadn’t it? It was at least the nudge that set them on this particular course. Jade wanted to think that, even without interference, they could have found their way to each other, but then she didn’t need to worry about that because they were both present and accounted for and all over each other in the backseat of Jade’s car.

“I’m honestly regretting saying I’d take that job on Saturday,” said Tori, letting her hand slide down under Jade’s tank top to her stomach, resting there.

Jade continued nuzzling Tori’s neck, breathing in her scent and trying to commit it to memory. “It’s not like you can help that you need the cash.” Though, something occurred to her and she lifted her head. “But...shouldn’t you have some money from the Platinum performance? I know that contract said something about five thousand bucks.”

“Do they even still have to honor that after everything?” Tori had a good point.

But, “Tori, you really need to find out.”

“Yeah. But even if it’s still happening, my parents already said it’s going toward college.”

Jade made a sound in her throat. “Sorry that Ma and Pa Vega are the responsible types.” She shifted on the seat, moving back toward the door to lean against it, then pulled Tori to her so she could lie against Jade’s chest. “But yeah, it does suck that you’ll miss half the dance. Guess you’ll owe me.”

Even in the dim light, Jade could see Tori shoot a look up at her. “Just _what_ will I owe you?”

“Some killer dance moves. Better get practicing.”

“That plan requires for you to know the same moves.”

Jade shrugged. “You’re the ‘man’ and I’m the ‘lady’ so, you lead, I follow.”

“This is not a very progressive approach.”

“I’m only working with the materials you’ve shown me.” Jade craned her neck to look at the clock on the dash. It was sometime after eight. They still had plenty of time before Tori had to be home. But they were still so limited on where they could be alone together. “I wish you could stay the night on Saturday. My mom’s out of town until Sunday night.”

“Oh yeah, my dad will especially love that idea.”

“He was pretty cool about me staying over with you that night.”

“Yeah, while everyone was home. I bet they actually expect Trina to bother us.”

Jade considered the idea that perhaps the seemingly chill liberal parents were actually that manipulative. She didn’t think so, but there was probably some grain of truth about the security of a house with so much activity. “What if you come over Sunday? During the day?”

“That should be fine.”

“I think maybe your parents need to talk with that sex educator woman if they think we’re not capable of doing the same things during the day as we might do at night.”

Tori pushed herself up so she could face Jade. “And what kind of things are those?” she asked, a sly smile on her face.

“I thought you had a bunch of pamphlets that already explained this to you.” This was playful, but Tori was asking something that left Jade feeling exposed. What was she expecting now that they were about as serious as anyone could get? She further deflected by kissing Tori’s chin, then willed herself to find some chill about the situation. “We can do whatever you want to.” Okay, that was supposed to try and cool things down, but Jade realized it could be taken in any direction, depending on what, exactly, Tori wanted.

“Great,” Tori said, head dipping to kiss Jade’s neck. “I think,” she began, her mouth moving closer to Jade’s ear, “I’ll want to make homemade pizzas from scratch.”

That was twice in one night that Tori had managed to catch Jade off guard. “Oh, that’s what you’ll want?” Jade shifted and twisted, pulling Tori’s face against her chest.

Tori laughed and mumbled into Jade’s cleavage, “Oh, this is _nice_.”

Yeah, maybe not the most effective retaliation. “You know what _I_ really want?” Jade asked, voice husky as Tori tipped her head back up.

“What?” Tori asked, a little breathless.

“That cupcake I left in my locker.” Jade was proud of herself until Tori’s hand, the one still under Jade’s shirt, began tickling. “Tori, _don’t you dare_.” The hand stopped, Jade caught her breath. Then Tori started back up, her hand now squeezing Jade’s side. “Nope,” she tried to sound stern, but she couldn’t help the laughter that was unfairly generated by the tickling. She grabbed Tori’s wrist, pulled it out from under her shirt, and held it down against the seat.

Tori responded by placing kisses above the neckline of Jade’s tank top, across her sternum, then up again at her neck. Eventually, they were back to making out, but without any particular end goal. Just kissing in the backseat of Jade’s car on their overlook, with Los Angeles down below.

If this was what it looked like being in love with Tori Vega, Jade wondered just how long it had been waiting for her to finally put a name to it.

-

When Jade dropped Tori off at home, she walked her up to the door, which made for lingering goodnight kisses on the front porch until, finally, Tori pressed one final kiss to Jade’s lips. “Okay, I really should go in.”

“Okay,” Jade replied, eyes drifting down Tori’s face, lingering on her mouth before she took a step back. But even before she let go of Tori’s hand, she kissed the back of it, reluctantly releasing it. “I thought you were going in,” said Jade.

“Yeah, but I want to make sure you get to your car okay.”

“It’s literally right there.” Jade had parked on the side of the driveway that was clearly visible from the front door.

“But your back door doesn’t lock, so maybe a serial murderer climbed in.”

“I should be so lucky. I’d have so many questions.” It was a little disturbing how Jade’s eyes lit up as she considered it.

“Okay, weirdo. Goodnight.” Tori waved her away, wanting nothing more than to pull her back in. But it was a school night and she was already pushing curfew.

She watched Jade check the back window and heard her call out, “All clear!” before she entered the car and pulled out of the driveway.

Inside, her parents were in the kitchen, her mom making tea and her dad reading something on his PearPad. Tori didn’t even feel her feet on the floor as she entered the house, buoyed by all the events of the evening, from the song to the rooftop to the backseat of Jade’s car. And yet when her mom asked how her night went, all Tori could say was, “It was really good,” with a contented sigh, before ascending the stairs.

She did hear her mom say, “I have a feeling we’ll be seeing _a lot_ of Jade around here,” before she shut the door to her bedroom.

Tori readied herself for bed, trying to pass the amount of time she figured it took Jade to get home before she started texting her. She’d just finished brushing her teeth when Trina whipped open the bathroom door from her own room.

“ _Chiz_ , Trina! Can’t you just open a door like a regular person?”

“Nice show you two put on tonight,” Trina jabbed, already leaving a trail of items as she dug for her own toothpaste.

Sharing a bathroom with Trina was a constant struggle. Tori did her best to keep all of her things in a specific drawer and kept the counter as clear as possible, not so much out of a need for order, but to keep Trina from using her stuff. At least they had two sinks. They might have killed each other a long time ago if she’d ever had to wait for Trina to stop hogging the faucet.

Tori wasn’t about to let her sister taint her memory of the evening. “It was, wasn’t it?” she said with a light smile. She wanted to finish up and get away from Trina as quickly as possible, but she still needed to wash her face.

Trina rolled her eyes and shoved her toothbrush in her mouth. She mumbled something Tori couldn’t make out, both because Trina was actively brushing her teeth and because Tori was trying to make sure she’d removed all her makeup.

“What?” Tori asked, knowing Trina wouldn’t leave her alone.

Trina spat out her toothpaste. “Who was that girl with Beck?”

“Meredith?”

Trina squinted into the mirror. “Does he like her?”

“I don’t know.” Tori patted her face with her towel. “Maybe ask him.” She hurried out of the bathroom and closed her door before she was subjected to Trina examining her face for blemishes.

Her phone was on her bed and there was a text notification on the screen.

**Made it home**

**No serial killers here either** 😭

**That you know of**

**Wow**

**Never pegged you as a psychological thriller type**

**I’m full of surprises**

**Yeah I know**

**I still can’t believe you pulled that Walter shit on me**

**I’m just saying!**

They maintained their easy banter for a while, but Tori was definitely tired and her eyelids were beginning to droop between messages. Finally, things wound down and she texted:

**Goodnight**

But she knew that wasn’t quite what she wanted to end it on.

**Love you**

Seeing it there, in text, put a timestamp on it, made it something traceable beyond memory. It was just seven letters, but they meant everything. Especially when they came right back to her.

**Love you too**

Tori was convinced she might just launch through her ceiling and up into the sky.

**I really wish I had that cupcake right now**

Somehow, that just made Tori fly even higher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Fade Into You_ by Mazzy Star.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episodes:
> 
> Tori Fixes Beck and Jade (4.06)
> 
> One Thousand Berry Balls (4.07)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> “So you’re not worried about how we’ll look together?”
> 
> She glanced sidelong at Tori. “Should I be?”
> 
> Tori shrugged, “I don’t think so. We matched for my Prome without even trying, so I think we’ll probably be fine.”
> 
> Jade hummed. That was a good point. Even at the time, she had noticed how their dresses complimented each other. “What a magical night,” she deadpanned.
> 
> “It was for you,” Tori smirked, “Since I made you the Prome Queen.”
> 
> That confirmed a long-held suspicion that the results had been totally rigged. Not even Hollywood Arts students were so weird. “So it _was_ your fault I got carried off by that diaper fetishist!”
> 
> “You’re the one who brought him there! He was the closest thing you had to a date.”
> 
> “It was still horrible.” Though a well-landed slap had been enough to get him to put her down pretty quickly, it had ruined her night. But then, she had been trying to ruin Tori’s, so she supposed it was a big mess all around. “Anyway, I’m not that worried about your outfit.”
> 
> Tori looked a little bit hurt at that, and glanced over at Beck before replying. “You’re really more concerned about matching with him?”
> 
> “Well, first of all, I’m not going to just be standing around with you. I’m going to be _dancing_ with you, and we’ll look good doing it. I expect some sweet dance moves, Vega.” A smile was starting to twitch the corners of Tori’s mouth. “Secondly, even when _you_ look like a pretty pink idiot,” at this she glanced down at Tori’s pink blazer of the day, “You still manage to look pretty damn good. So no. I’m not worried.” Well, she wasn’t _too_ worried. “Though, how much pink _are_ you planning to wear?”
> 
> “Some,” was Tori’s enigmatic reply.
> 
> Jade supposed she’d have to live with it.


	7. Come on let's go, real slow, don't you see baby así es perfecto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, a reminder, this story is shifting into harder M-rated territory. Have fun!

The next day in Sikowitz’s class, Jade presented Beck with clothing.

“What’s this for?” Beck asked, though he automatically accepted the blue Hawaiian shirt and the brown jacket.

“If you’re going to be standing next to me for half the dance on Saturday, you need to wear this.”

Beck regarded it curiously for a moment, then shrugged. “Okay.”

“Good,” Jade strode away to sit next to Tori, reaching for her hand as she settled into her seat.

“I wondered what those were doing in your car this morning,” Tori commented, as the hand that wasn’t holding Jade’s started tracing over her tattoo.

“I maybe bought them months and months ago for this,” Jade admitted. “It would be a shame to let them go to waste.”

Tori was eyeing her, “Have you been planning what I’m going to wear, too?”

“I don’t know, can you dress yourself?” Jade asked.

“Beck can’t dress himself?” Tori sounded skeptical.

“Beck just literally doesn’t care,” Jade explained, “He will just throw on clothes if you don’t give him a little guidance. It usually works out for him, but if I’m going to be standing around waiting for you to get out of work, I want to at least look good doing it.”

Tori gnawed her lip. Jade knew she was really regretting taking the job on Saturday, but she wasn’t backing out, either, because she did need money. Jade lifted their joined hands to kiss Tori’s knuckles. Tori’s expression softened into a smile. “So you’re not worried about how we’ll look together?”

She glanced sidelong at Tori. “Should I be?”

Tori shrugged, “I don’t think so. We matched for my Prome without even trying, so I think we’ll probably be fine.”

Jade hummed. That was a good point. Even at the time, she had noticed how their dresses complimented each other. “What a magical night,” she deadpanned.

“It was for you,” Tori smirked, “Since I made you the Prome Queen.”

That confirmed a long-held suspicion that the results had been totally rigged. Not even Hollywood Arts students were so weird. “So it _was_ your fault I got carried off by that diaper fetishist!”

“You’re the one who brought him there! He was the closest thing you had to a date.”

“It was still horrible.” Though a well-landed slap had been enough to get him to put her down pretty quickly, it had ruined her night. But then, she had been trying to ruin Tori’s, so she supposed it was a big mess all around. “Anyway, I’m not that worried about your outfit.”

Tori looked a little bit hurt at that, and glanced over at Beck before replying. “You’re really more concerned about matching with him?”

“Well, first of all, I’m not going to just be standing around with you. I’m going to be _dancing_ with you, and we’ll look good doing it. I expect some sweet dance moves, Vega.” A smile was starting to twitch the corners of Tori’s mouth. “Secondly, even when _you_ look like a pretty pink idiot,” at this she glanced down at Tori’s pink blazer of the day, “You still manage to look pretty damn good. So no. I’m not worried.” Well, she wasn’t _too_ worried. “Though, how much pink _are_ you planning to wear?”

“Some,” was Tori’s enigmatic reply.

Jade supposed she’d have to live with it.

Something she wasn’t thrilled about living with, however, was her mother’s nosiness. When Jade strode through the house that afternoon, fresh from dropping Tori off at home, she stopped off at the kitchen, planning to grab a soda before retreating to her room. Her mother was at the table, looking over the mail. Try as she might to slip in, get her drink and get out, Jade barely made it three steps before her mom said, “Your song was so good last night!” 

Her mother had been there, she knew. And, she was actually pleased about the approval, because chiz-knows her dad didn’t recognize the arts, but it was still something Jade wasn’t ready to let her mother have without a bit of resistance. “Thanks,” was Jade’s flat reply.

“Things seem pretty serious between you and Tori,” said Tiffany.

There was strong consideration given to just leaving the room without any response, a move Jade had perfected to an art form. Although, while her mom was annoying, she did bother to show up and she was being cool about Tori so maybe she’d give her, like, two minutes of her time. But only because she wanted to. And because she was in a pretty damn good mood.

“They are,” confirmed Jade, twisting the cap off her drink.

“Then I’d like to have her over for dinner, sometime.”

Jade choked. “Like, here?”

“Yes. Maybe next week?”

She supposed this was exactly what she deserved for opening up to her mother.

-

Tori found out about the dinner invitation over text, later that night. She thought it sounded nice. Jade seemed to think it was a disaster. But they didn’t need to worry about it until later. First they had to get through the Cow-Wow Dance.

She’d been sending Jade different videos of salsa dancing, mostly as a joke, but she kind of hoped that maybe they could pull off something cool on the dance floor. How, though, was the issue. There really wasn’t a ton of time to rehearse. Maybe they’d find a window on Friday afternoon, but she and Andre still needed to polish up their song and Saturday was already booked with Tori’s ill-timed job giving out samples at the mall.

On top of all that, Andre made a point on Friday morning to ask if they planned to stick around after they sang at dance. Apparently, her and Jade’s disappearance fifteen minutes into the Full Moon Jam hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“I mean, hey, trust me, I get it.” He said to her as she swapped books out at her locker. “But then I’m up there trying to close the event, saying to give it up to the performers, calling them up for one last hurrah, and when I get to Jade West, she’s M-I-A.”

“We were having an important talk,” Tori said, knowing it was a flimsy reply.

“Mmmhmm,” hummed Andre. “I’m sure it was.”

Later, just as she was ready to meet everyone for lunch, she got a text from Jade that said:

**Janitor’s closet**

**ASAP**

This was...new. Sure, they’d stolen away for a couple kisses here and there, but it had never been pre-meditated. Her stomach fluttered wondering just what Jade was up to as she moved against the flow of students toward the closet door. When she opened it, sure enough, there was Jade.

“Hey,” Tori said.

Jade waved past her. “Shut the door.”

When Tori did, Jade shoved the trash can in front of it, though it wasn’t very heavy. “I don’t think that’ll keep anyone out.”

“I’m not try--” Jade's lips formed into an amused smirk. “Oh, you thought this was a booty call.”

“I didn’t think it was exactly _that_ ,” Tori glanced at the door, as if someone might hear. But, obviously, there was a different purpose for this meeting than Tori’s assumption.

“I’m trying to make room so we can practice.” At Tori’s still-confused expression, Jade clarified. “Dancing. Not sex.”

Heat flared in Tori’s cheeks. Even with everything they’d already done together, the mention of sex (especially with Jade) still sent her spiraling. She did her best to focus on what Jade was actually trying to do. “Right. Dancing.”

“ _Tori_.”

“Huh?”

“My eyes are up here,” Jade teased.

But, yeah, Tori had maybe been staring at her general chest area. She was still kicking herself for not taking up Jade’s offer to see her boobs, not once, but twice. Anyway, what? Dancing. “Sorry.”

Jade made a sound that suggested it didn’t bother her, but then directed Tori’s attention to her PearPhone, where she pulled up one of the videos Tori had sent. “Are we going to do this, or not?”

They spent half their lunch period working on their steps and turns until Jade was satisfied (and also hungry enough to end their session). It hadn’t been that long of a rehearsal, but they were getting it. Tori liked that Jade was taking this to heart, something that had begun as a silly moment between them was actually becoming, like, a _thing_.

Meanwhile, when they finally joined the others at the lunch table, everyone seemed to assume they’d been off making out.

“Why,” Jade asked Rex, who had been the one to pose the actual question. “Did you want to watch?”

“Are you offering?” Rex inquired, obviously eager for an invitation.

“In your puppet dreams,” Jade responded.

“You don’t even know the half of it,” said Rex.

“Ew! Keep us out of your weird pervy dreamscape,” demanded Tori.

Rex shook his head. “The heart wants what it wants.”

“Do you ever think about how weird it is that we actually go to school with Rex?” asked Cat. “Like, isn’t he too old to go here?”

Everyone considered the question, offering a slew of opinions on it.

“Good point.”

“Never thought of that.”

“How old even is Rex, anyway?”

In moving between the janitor’s closet and the lunch table, Jade had stopped to retrieve her cupcake from her locker and she was now peeling off the paper.

“Is that even still any good?” Tori asked.

Jade smelled it. “Sure.”

It honestly still did look quite tasty. “Can I have some?”

“No,” came Jade’s near-automatic reply.

“ _I’m_ the reason you even have it in the first place.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Fine. It’s not like I’ve been fantasizing about this cupcake for two days or anything.” She held it out to Tori, apparently expecting her to take a bite of it. But when Tori tried, Jade tipped it upward and spread frosting on her nose.

“I honestly should have expected that,” pouted Tori, wiping it away with her napkin.

“ _Yeah_ , you really should’ve.” But Jade took pity on her, taking Andre’s unused knife and using it to split the treat, not quite in half. But a decent 60/40.

The conversation steered around to Sikowitz’s latest acting exercise and Jade’s hand parked itself on Tori’s thigh, gently trailing fingertips back and forth. It was easily becoming clear that Jade expressed her feelings through touch, she was always reaching for Tori’s hand in the halls or finding other ways to physically connect, like the way she was, right now. Tori was always happy to reciprocate and figured she initiated the same kind of contact just as regularly. Though, now she was wondering if her double dismissal of Jade’s offer to see her topless was somehow perceived as a rejection. She didn’t think so, because whenever Jade felt rejected, she was generally very clear about any upset it caused, usually to the point of yelling at someone who happened to be within her radius.

Jade dropped Tori off after school, and after some regular Driveway Time, Tori went in the house. Andre was coming over later so they could rehearse their song to be ready for the Cow-Wow dance the next night, but during this window of time in her afternoon, Tori figured she’d better get started on her homework. Between working and the dance on Saturday, and already having plans with Jade on Sunday to do...who knew what, she didn’t anticipate getting much done over the weekend.

But even as Tori tried to work through her assignments, her thoughts kept drifting to Jade’s boobs.

Okay, that wasn’t uncommon for her, and especially since the way she’d touched them in the car after the Full Moon Jam, they’d been on her mind a lot. But she was thinking back to the fact that she’d now turned down Jade’s offer to get a good look at them. _Twice_.

The first time, sure, it wasn’t in a remotely sexual context, Trina had just been freaking out about them, and it didn’t feel like the right time. But Wednesday night was murkier. It _could_ have been the right time...if Tori had allowed it. True, she was certainly a little paranoid about doing anything that could involve the cops, and she knew from listening to her dad that cops did occasionally stop to check on cars that were parked for a long time at public spots like the overlooks. But her hesitation made less sense to her in retrospect. She could’ve just _looked_ for a minute, right? Even if it was pretty dark in the car, she would’ve seen enough to get excited about it, right?

Tori didn’t know _what_ she was waiting for, how she would know when this mythical “right time” to see Jade’s breasts would arrive, and she was really starting to kick herself for waiting. She’d taken on the gorilla in the Gorilla Club and won, for chiz sake, and she couldn’t handle a little risk to see the boobs she’d been _kind of_ obsessed with for months now?

She didn’t think things were moving too fast for her, and they certainly hadn’t done anything she’d regretted. If anything, she kind of regretted having to stop a few times, even though the implied intimacy of what might happen if they _didn’t_ stop still made her blush.

Maybe there was just something wrong with her. Maybe she liked torturing herself. Maybe Jade was rubbing off on her.

Okay, _that_ was something else she didn’t need to get distracted thinking about.

But she was already distracted, so she grabbed her PearBook. She’d looked through the pamphlets Patrice had given her enough to be pretty sure there wasn’t anything in them to tell her why she wasn’t jumping at the chance to see her girlfriend’s boobs. But maybe there was more information out there.

She found Patrice’s website and started to explore. The site welcome page had a picture of her wearing a very nice smile and a top that showed off the tattoos on her arms, which Tori took a moment to take in. There was an “About” section, which read more like a resume than anything else, with a list of things Patrice had published and sections about her work as a therapist and sex educator. There was a section for people who wanted to book her for lectures or classes, one enumerating the different media she’d been involved in, and another for people interested in becoming sex educators themselves. Tori scanned through some of the information, but nothing was jumping out at her. It was actually all a little overwhelming.

There was a link on the top menu bar that said “Contact” which Tori clicked. It opened up a page with a phone number, an office address, and her email. When Tori tapped on the email link, it automatically opened up her PearMail application. She moved along the laptop’s trackpad, intending to close it, but then she thought she might as well write it out and see if she seemed like a sex-crazed teen or not.

**Hi Patrice!**

**It’s Tori Vega. Holly’s daughter.**

Okay, wait, did she need to bring her mom into this? She hit the backspace key a few times.

**It’s Tori Vega. You came to my house a couple weeks ago to talk to me. Anyway, I just had a question about something. I don’t even know if you can help me or what but, remember my girlfriend? Things are kind of, I guess, heating up with us. Not all the way or anything, but we’re being**

How was she even supposed to talk about this without it sounding...dirty?

**kind of intimate with each other. So my question is: If my girlfriend keeps offering to show me her breasts and I really want to see them but I keep declining the offer, is that normal?**

Even as Tori looked at the text on screen, she knew this was too ridiculous to send to someone as busy as Patrice Kline. It was too ridiculous to send to anyone, ever. She maneuvered the cursor upward, preparing to close the email box, but the PearBook froze, giving her the spinning rainbow pear. Tori groaned and circled the trackpad a few times. Finally, the cursor returned, all of the movement on the trackpad resulted in Tori accidentally clicking on the Send button.

“No, nononono,” she said, hearing the _swoosh_ sound of a sent email. Tori wanted to scream. She quickly returned to the contact page and clicked again for the email prompt. This time she wrote.

**SORRY PLEASE DISREGARD MY PREVIOUS EMAIL**

**IT WAS AN ACCIDENT**

Even as that one _swooshed_ off, Tori already considered there was probably a better way to handle it. Maybe Patrice was super busy anyway, maybe she didn’t even check her own email. Tori hoped so. Oh god, she hoped so.

Jade came by later, after Andre had left, wanting to show Tori a movie from the early 2000s about a haunted asylum. Friday movie nights had kind of become a regular thing. Not every week, but often enough that Tori’s parents picked up on it.

“Oh, I remember this one,” her dad said, watching Jade load _Session 9_ into the DVD player. “It’s creepy.”

“Kind of a given whenever Jade’s in charge,” Tori replied. Jade sat down next to her on one of the couches, but her dad was still lingering.

“Honey!” Tori’s dad called to her mom, “Did you watch this one with me?”

Holly came over and looked at the screen, where the DVD menu was idling. “No, I don’t think so.”

“I think you’d like it,” David replied

“Oh, well would you mind if we join you?” Holly asked them.

Tori looked at Jade, “Umm,” she started, wanting to find a polite way to say no way.

“Sure,” Jade was actually grinning at both of them, “That’d be great.”

“Oh, fun, movie night!” Tori’s mom gushed, sitting down on the other couch next to Tori’s dad. Tori winced. They should’ve just watched it in her room on her PearBook, but Jade insisted that good movies should be watched on a “real” screen whenever possible.

She just hoped her parents wouldn’t be too embarrassing, but the way Jade smirked at her miserable look told her Jade would be delighted if they were.

The movie was creepy, atmospheric, more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie. That meant that everyone was actually paying attention, for the most part, so Tori was able to mostly forget that her parents were there. Instead she was focused on holding Jade’s hand, sometimes holding it rather hard when scenes started to get particularly tense. Sometimes, she’d flinch away from the screen, certain that something horrifying was about to happen, but it never did.

“What are you trying to hide from?” Jade murmured at her after she started half-hiding her face during an intense scene.

“I don’t know!” Tori hissed, “I just know something bad is going to happen!”

“Well, you have to watch to see what it is,” Jade said, amused. She deliberately held Tori’s hand with both of hers, offering a reassuring squeeze. Tori tried to focus on that for the rest of the movie.

By the time it was over and Jade had left, they hadn’t gotten a lot of time to themselves, aside from when Tori walked Jade out to her car to say goodnight. But Tori knew they had tomorrow night to dance, and Sunday to look forward to.

And whatever that entailed, Tori was definitely ready for it.

-

Jade’s Saturday was pretty clear. She had some homework, but nothing too substantial, and she had the house to herself. She was still making her way through her morning pot of coffee while Tori was already getting ready to go meet Andre at his job at the mall for her work shift. They both anticipated that Tori wouldn’t be able to text too much on the job, but they had half of the dance to spend together.

Meanwhile, Jade was feeling inspired by _Session 9_ and was starting to consider possibilities for her semester project. She still hadn’t been chosen and it was beginning to make her a little crazy. She knew the whole point was to put the project together in a week--Sikowitz was sadistic like that--but Jade figured there was nothing to stop her from generating ideas. She decided that her semester project would be about a haunted asylum, no matter what the genre was, and began to lay out possibilities in a document on her PearBook.

She had to field a few texts from Cat as she tried to get started generating ideas. She wanted advice on what to wear to the Cow-Wow that Robbie would like. She very explicitly hadn’t wanted to go with Robbie, but now that he was taking another girl, Cat was acting all weird about it.

Tori must have finally gotten a break, because Jade received a text around three in the afternoon.

**This is the worst**

**No one wants my samples**

**It’s free food**

**It should give itself away**

**It’s bad**

Jade received an image of a tray full of purple globs on sticks that all seemed to be covered in...it couldn’t be mold...but it looked like mold.

**Okay that’s bad**

**And I have to wear a costume**

**You know that means you have to show me**

**No**

**I don’t want to ruin what we have**

**It can’t be that bad**

**Don’t make me beg**

**Not that I would beg**

**But you know I live for this stuff**

A minute or so later, Jade had another incoming picture. It must’ve been taken by Andre, because it was a full body shot of Tori looking miserable in some kind of fruit witch costume and a curly blonde wig. There were giant berries and more...mold? Seriously, what _was_ that?

“Oh, _that’s bad_ ,” Jade said aloud.

**I know you’re laughing**

**Only in my heart**

**I have to go back**

**I’ll text you when I get another break**

Tori really must be hurting for cash if she was willing to subject herself to whatever was happening. Jade hoped she hadn’t felt pressured to spend money on her. Yes, Jade liked being taken out. Yes, Jade liked presents. But that was because Jade liked attention (from the right people) and Tori was generally pretty good about making sure Jade had plenty of hers.

She made a mental note to ask Tori again about the Platinum deal. Mason Thornesmith couldn’t just weasel out of paying her girlfriend for her performance, that was for damn sure. And maybe she could convince Tori’s parents to let her have a little bit of the money so she didn’t have to miss out on important things like school dances with Jade. It was weird, actually, having any kind of relationship with Tori’s parents. Beck’s mom and dad had met her, sure, but they didn’t really talk to her beyond the most basic formalities. Meanwhile, the Vegas were not only happy to see Jade when she was around, but they’d tagged along on their movie night and, most importantly, they all seemed to share the common interest of embarrassing Tori.

Jade realized they probably would want to meet her mom and she was conflicted about it. On one hand, maybe it would be a good idea for her mother to see what normal parents looked like. On the other hand, it meant letting her mom even further into her personal life.

She didn’t hear from Tori again until after six and, by then, Jade had started to get ready for the Cow-Wow.

**Still trying to get rid of these stupid berry balls**

😫😫😫

Now Jade was kind of starting to worry.

**You’ll still make it there by nine, right?**

**I kind of have to**

**For the song**

**And because I promised my date**

Jade replied with a selfie of her outfit, a black western shirt (okay, it was sleeveless and tied up practically right under her boobs) and a red skirt with white Hawaiian-style flowers on it. It definitely offered up a lot of skin to be touched, if Tori ever actually made it to the dance.

She didn’t hear back as quickly as she would have liked. Jade thrived on validation and hated the silence of waiting. She tried to remind herself that Tori was working and wearing that god-awful outfit, which probably didn’t have any pockets for her phone. Even so, when a good twenty minutes had passed, Jade found herself getting irritable. Why did Tori have to accidentally spend sixty dollars on a stupid phone game? She busied herself by checking The Slap and, finally, a text from Tori did come in, just before seven.

😍

Jade didn’t know when she became the kind of girl who liked getting corny emojis, but somewhere along the line, it had happened. 

She and Beck had arranged to meet at the dance, something that was new for them, because he’d always picked her up for social events when they’d dated. So, it was different to find him already in the parking-lot-turned-Cow-Wow, dutifully wearing the outfit she’d presented to him earlier that week. “Howdy, pardner,” he said as she approached.

“Look at you,” Jade drawled as she took in the sight of him in the strange, mismatched fashion that paired with the event. Even in the most awkward getup, Beck was still model-pretty. She felt maybe a little bit selfish for monopolizing his time and company, given that he was single and could have his pick of anyone there. But only a little bit, because she definitely didn’t want to stand by herself while she waited for her girlfriend to finally show up after her trip through the magical mold forest.

They claimed one of the tall tables off to the side, where they could watch people and make fun of the ones who couldn’t dance. This was a tradition Jade was happy to continue. Early into the evening, Cat found them, distressed that Robbie had shown up with his date, which confused both Beck and Jade. But it was Cat, so really...it wasn’t worth it to try and make sense of anything. It did kind of get interesting when Cat started dancing with Sinjin to make Robbie jealous. Either that or this dance really sucked and Jade couldn’t wait for Tori to finally get there.

Around eight-thirty, as she made her way to the punch bowl, Jade finally got a text from Tori saying she was leaving the Northridge Mall and heading home to change. That meant she was already running late and would barely make it, even in the most optimal traffic situation. At least the dance floor drama between Cat, Sinjin, and Robbie was heating up. Also, for some reason, there was a hot dog in Beck’s punch, which seemed to fascinate him a little too much. Weird. Everything at this school was always _so weird_. Like, right now, when Cat suddenly took a foot to the face when Sinjin flailed around in one of his dance moves.

Fortunately, Lane was on the scene to administer first aid and Cat would be fine. The incident had put a brief hold on the dance schedule and, it seemed, that was just enough time for Tori and Andre to slip in, unnoticed, because Jade had a text that said:

**I see you down there**

**Creepy**

Jade looked up at the stage above the Asphalt Cafe, but she could only see the house band. At first, anyway. Then Tori was there, dressed in pink from head to toe. At least she had on a blue fringed vest to offset it. None of it matched what Jade was wearing. But with the way Tori commanded the attention of the entire dance, did it matter? “Okay, everybody! Who’s ready to rock the Cow-Wow?” Tori asked the crowd before launching into the song she’d been working on with Andre all week. It was catchy and Jade couldn’t help dancing along to it, which, to be honest, happened every time Tori performed. She wasn’t Tori’s only fan, everyone applauded and cheered as the song came to a close. But she was definitely the only one who had plans to dance with her. Jade and Beck climbed the steps up to the stage, wanting to congratulate their friends.

“Heyyy,” Jade said, approaching the band. “Great song,” she smirked at Tori “...Andre.” Tori rolled her eyes at Jade.

Beck gave Tori a reassuring, “Good job.”

“Thanks, _Beck_ ,” Tori replied.

“I appreciate the accolades, but why are you giving Tori a hard time?” Andre asked.

“Because she was _late_ ,” answered Jade “And she’s wearing too much pink.” Her tone was typical for tormenting Tori, but her body language gave her away as she reached for her girlfriend. “Which is all entirely forgivable if she’ll come dance with me.”

Tori clipped the microphone back into the mic stand and grabbed Jade’s waiting hand. “You say that like it wasn’t the plan, already.” They descended the stairs down to the dance floor, among all the awkward movers and shakers Jade had been laughing at for the last hour. She and Tori both had on cowboy boots which allowed for Jade’s natural slight height advantage to be present, similar to that night they danced up on the overlook.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t be the man this time?” Jade asked as they settled into the first position, as per their video lessons. “I’m taller.”

“It’s not man and lady,” Tori corrected, “it’s lead and follow. And you were still taller that night at the overlook when I asked you to dance the first time.”

“Fair point. You ready?”

Tori flashed her a grin and they began to dance. It wasn’t anything flashy, but they were definitely making it work. A few people around them cheered them on, though most of the dance attendees were busy minding their own business.

“You do realize that we’re salsa dancing at a cowboy themed luau,” Tori asked, at one point.

“It’s chaos,” Jade said. “And I’m just convinced I’ll never be as good as your mom.”

“Jade!”

“What? She’s really good.”

They pulled off their final spin, Tori lifting their arms high for Jade to turn under them, then pulled her back. As the song changed to something slower, Tori’s arms looped up over Jade’s shoulders, whild Jade’s hands rested on Tori’s hips.

“That was fun,” said Tori.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to maybe learning more stuff like that,” admitted Jade.

“Okay, but you have to stop bringing my mom into it.”

“I can’t help that she’s a very sensual dancer.”

“If you want, I can leave and you can call her to finish out the night.” Jade knew Tori was just poking back, but there was a steely resolve in the way she’d arched her eyebrow.

Jade sighed. “Okay, okay. I’ll _behave_.”

They couldn’t slow dance too closely, because of their cowboy hats, but Tori was able to nuzzle Jade’s neck if she kept the angle just right. “I missed you all day,” she said.

“Yeah, how did things go in the enchanted mold forest, anyway?”

“A hundred bucks is all mine. I just have to pick up the check on Monday.”

“So, worth it, then?”

“I guess. I’d rather have been here with you.”

“Dude, you missed Cat getting kicked in the head by Sinjin.”

“He’s always waving those legs around!”

“Um, Tori?”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you smell like triple berry blend?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

-

Tori woke up way too early on Sunday. Like, 7:30 in the morning too early. She tried in vain to get back to sleep, flailing among her sheets and her pillows for at least a half an hour before she gave up completely.

She knew exactly why she couldn’t get back to sleep: she was going over to Jade’s house today and no one would be home. She was far too excited to get back to sleep when that thought hit her as soon as she opened her eyes.

She’d been out a little late with her friends--they’d all gone to InsideOut Burger after the Cow-Wow dance. Even Cat, who had biked off in the middle of the dance, was there, though it turned out she’d just been hiding in the restaurant bathroom for the past hour or so, making tips by distributing paper towels to people.

“I made fifty dollars!” Cat told them, “Burgers on me!” From the way Cat was kind of awkwardly ignoring Robbie, Tori gathered that something had gone down between them at the dance, but with the rest of the group around them, they were able to mingle okay. Tori wondered if this was how it felt to the others when she and Jade were figuring things out.

Tori shuffled downstairs to eat something and have some coffee. One of her parents must be up, because coffee was brewed, but the house was quiet and no one was in sight. Tori checked The Slap while she ate her cereal and then took her coffee back up to her room.

She got onto her PearBook to get a better look at some of the pictures people had posted from the dance. It looked like there were a few of her and Jade salsa dancing, and she wanted to get a better idea of how their form looked. But when she opened her computer, she had a couple of email notifications.

Tori only bothered having her school email account push to her phone, since that’s what her social media was connected to. She had a different email account that she used for her other online activity, which mostly meant the inbox got receipts from online orders and that she had to unsubscribe from the various mailing list that she ended up accidentally getting added to. Curious what she had accidently signed up for this time, Tori opened her email account.

Her heart dropped when she saw she had an email from Patrice.

**Hi, Tori. Of course I remember you! All I can really tell you about your situation is not to worry about what’s normal or not. Take intimacy at your own pace and keep communicating with your girlfriend. It’s okay to have boundaries.**

**Kind regards,**

**Patrice**

Tori was mortified. Patrice had read her email and responded with, well, some okay advice, she guessed. But she had really _wanted_ to know if it was normal!

She clicked her next email, realizing it was also from Patrice.

**Well, Tori. Sorry I didn’t see this one first. Disregard my advice, or not.**

**Warmly,**

**Patrice**

This was somehow even more humiliating. Tori closed her email box and considered just crawling back under her covers for the rest of the day.

Tori wasted some time scrolling through The Slap, including scrolling through Jade’s post history, just because she kind of missed her. She went down to get another cup of coffee a while later, figuring she’d need it.

Around 9:30, she had a text from Jade.

**I’ll come pick you up around noon, if that sounds good**

**Can’t wait**

**It’s pretty early, are you texting before coffee?**

**Maybe**

Well, it seemed like she wasn’t the only one who was eager.

They texted lightly during the morning. Before noon rolled around, Tori did a little homework, ate a light lunch to tide her over since her breakfast was so early, and got showered and dressed in the jeans, sneakers, and the La Brea Tar Pits t-shirt she’d bought with Jade on their date to the Museum of Large Bones. And, of course, the bracelet Jade had given her.

Jade actually arrived a little early, which meant that Tori’s mom, who was in the kitchen doing something on her PearBook, had to answer the door. Tori hurried down the stairs as soon as she realized what was happening, and was halfway down them when Holly called, “Tori! Jade’s here.”

“I know, I know,” Tori called back. She was carrying a copy of _Whip It_ , because somehow Jade hadn’t seen it, and in her mind, being able to show her parents a movie if they asked what their plans were would make everything seem normal. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Hi,” she said to Jade, taking in her outfit. Sleeveless white t-shirt with Road Warriors in black lettering over an image of a motorcycle, black stretch jeans, and Jade’s signature red boots. Everything about the outfit gave Jade a sort of powerful, swaggering energy, even standing still, and omg Tori was staring. She forced herself to look normal as she walked over to hug her in greeting. There was no way they were kissing in front of her mom.

“What are you girls up to today?” Holly was already moving back toward the dining room table.

“Nothing--much,” Tori said quickly, amending her statement in the moment so it didn’t sound so defensive. “Just going to watch movies, maybe get some food.” She held up the DVD for emphasis.

“Sounds fun,” Holly said distractedly, mind clearly on whatever it was she was working on. “Well, have fun, you two.”

“Thanks, bye Mom!”

“Bye, Holly,” Jade called, with just enough of a lilt in her voice for Tori to give her a rather severe side-eye as she grabbed Jade’s hand and dragged her out of the house before Tori’s mom could think to ask any questions about whether anyone was home at Jade’s. Though her parents had really only made stipulations about parents being home in cases where Tori was staying over at someone’s house, it also hadn’t really come up for other visits since she and Jade became official, and Tori had a feeling it would be something they’d think to ask before too long.

Once in Jade’s car, they paused only long enough to kiss deeply in greeting before Jade began to drive them to her house. It was already torture not being able to touch Jade.

“So, movies and food, huh?” Jade asked as she navigated the streets.

“You said we could do whatever I want,” Tori teased.

“I did,” Jade confirmed.

“Well, I want to watch _Whip It_ ,” Tori tried to sound convincing, but she also didn’t want to torture Jade too much. “But, you know. Maybe later.”

“Later, huh?” Jade didn’t seem to want to stop torturing her. “Why, what ever could you mean by that?” She had switched to the Sweet Sally Peaches voice.

Tori shot her a steely look, “I don’t talk like that! And...you should tread carefully, or I might just insist we make homemade pizza instead of...anything else.”

The threat was clumsy, but it appeared to work, because Jade stopped teasing her, and instead just said, “That t-shirt is actually kind of cute on you.”

“There’s a reason I bought it,” Tori said. She took in Jade’s bare arms in her top, “You look...hot,” she confessed.

Jade smirked.

When they made it to Jade’s house, they grabbed water from the fridge in the kitchen--Tori thought she’d had enough caffeine that morning--and then headed down to Jade’s bedroom. Once they’d taken off their shoes, Jade stood up and pointed at the end of her bed, “Okay, sit down.”

It was a command. Tori raised her eyebrow, “Sit down? I thought I got to pick what we do.”

Jade’s expression shifted to somewhere between amused and sultry, “Oh, I think you’ll like what I’ve picked.”

Well, that was tempting. Tori decided not to argue and sat at the foot of Jade’s bed. “Okay, now wha--” Tori lost her voice as she saw Jade pull her shirt up over her head. She was standing in front of Tori in her bra, which was some shiny black lacy number that made her cleavage look _really_ nice. Tori couldn’t stop staring at it.

Jade walked over to stand in front of Tori, just barely too far away for Tori to touch. Tori’s eyes were still caught in the gorgeously-framed cleavage before her, though she registered that Jade was reached around her back. Sensing that Jade was waiting for something, Tori looked up at her face.

Jade wore a very satisfied smirk. “You ready for this?” she asked Tori.

Tori tried to speak, and couldn’t, but she was able to nod. Her eyes dropped back down as Jade’s bra began to fall away from her breasts. Jade took her time with it, letting the straps slide down her arms while keeping the cups in place until the whole garment slid down her arms to her hand, and she tossed it aside.

Still unable to speak, Tori whimpered and stared at Jade’s bare breasts. Jade stepped closer to her until she was standing right in front of her, and Tori leaned forward, letting her face press right between them.

She stayed there for a long moment, realizing as she did so that the long groaning sound she heard was coming from her own mouth. Jade was chuckling. “Don’t drown in there,” she teased.

“Rather drown,” Tori reminded her, barely coherent. She lifted both of her hands to hold the breasts as she nuzzled the space between them, making sure to press a kiss onto each one.

She was still trying to comprehend that she had seen Jade’s boobs, and now she was _touching_ them, like _really_ touching them, not just under a shirt. Jade’s arms were wrapped around her, holding her close and running through her hair as she let Tori nuzzle and hold her breasts. While Tori had a feeling this was part of what was going to happen when she came over, she hadn’t expected it to be the very first thing.

But eventually, it seemed that Jade wanted more, because Tori felt a push on her shoulder, and ended up on her back on the bed, a topless Jade standing over her, smirking down at her.

Tori sat up and scooted back to give Jade room to join her on the bed. Jade got on her knees on the bed, watching Tori intently.

“Should...should I take off my shirt?” Tori asked.

“Do you want to?” Jade asked.

Tori nodded, decisively. “Yeah. I do.”

-

Tori was already starting to pull her shirt off when Jade reached for it, but she took it from her and tossed it on the floor. She was wearing a comfortable-looking, basic purple cotton bra, and she was already reaching behind her to unhook it, but Jade touched her arm. “Let me,” she requested softly.

Tori looked up at her, curious, and nodded. Jade circled her arms around Tori’s body. She’d always wondered if this was actually challenging, because in her limited experience, bra hooks seemed to be the bane of young men’s existence. And as she moved her fingers, okay, yeah, it was a little counter-intuitive, considering the way she normally unhooked bras on her own body, but it wasn’t _hard_. A few seconds later, and she had Tori’s bra sliding down her arms.

And in a moment, they were sitting next to each other on the bed, completely topless. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other, taking it in, less of a hesitation and more of a savoring. They had all day, there was no rush, as Jade tried to remind herself. Okay, she had been the one who had started off going a little bit zero to sixty by putting her breasts out there right away, but that had been something she knew they were both eager for, something she worried Tori would never actually get the guts to ask for, after two reluctant denials.

And now, topless Tori Vega was on her bed, and that was...well, Jade thought she had a pretty good idea of what to expect, having seen Tori in a bikini and in her bra, but her imagination still didn’t compare to what she actually saw. Her touch followed her gaze, hand sliding up from Tori’s hip to her chest, palm covering one nude breast.

Tori responded by leaning forward to connect their lips, her own hand reaching for Jade’s breasts. The kiss was eager but unhurried, and perhaps like Jade, Tori was realizing that they had all the time they could want, and that this moment was worth reveling in.

They kissed slowly, letting their hands map over new territory. Jade marveled at the soft, smooth skin, the delicate weight of Tori’s breast in her hand, the hitch in Tori’s breath every time fingers trailed over a nipple. Tori’s touch on her own skin was equally gentle, something Jade had come to expect; even at her roughest, in the backseat of Jade’s car, excitedly groping beneath her tank top, the actual caresses of her hand had been careful, and--again, there was no other word for it--reverent. Tori touched her breasts like she was worshipping them, and the validation and affirmation that swelled through Jade at the realization left her with a giddy, heady feeling.

Tori was pushing nearer, closing the distance between them, warm arms circling around her. Jade responded in kind, bringing their bare upper bodies flush with one another’s. She moaned softly against Tori’s mouth at the contact, soft skin meeting skin. It was something else about dating a girl that was so unexpectedly new, so different, not just in sensation, but in context. Being topless with a woman was more enticing in terms of the sheer pleasure of the physical response, but also the vulnerability exchanged between them, both baring something significant and personal to the other, instead of the uneven power dynamics inherent in the same situation with a guy. Jade didn’t want to dwell too much on the distinction, but in this moment, it felt significant, that it was not just about her giving something of herself for her partner’s approval and perusal, but that it was a mutual exchange of assurance, of sensitivity, of momentous courage.

They continued like this for what felt like a long time, lost in the sensations of lips and breasts, until--and Jade wasn’t sure which one of them had initiated the change--they were lying down together on their sides, arms wrapped around each other, breasts still soft against each other, still kissing. Their legs entangled easily, not seeking more than to bring their bodies closer. Jade thought she could kiss Tori like this forever, basking in the slow energy that built between them, this ephemeral moment in time feeling like it was etching itself permanently into her skin.

Tori put just enough space between their bodies to bring a hand back up to one of Jade’s breasts, holding it and whimpering softly. Jade stopped kissing her mouth to lift her head and, sweeping Tori’s hair back, began kissing along her neck. Tori emitted a delicious sort of gasping moan, and finally some words were spoken, “Feels so good,” she murmured, “Everything.” Her fingers tightened over Jade’s breast, as if for emphasis.

Jade, mouth currently occupied with kissing all over Tori’s neck, just grunted in agreement, trembling slightly as she felt Tori’s fingers grazing over her nipple. She pushed closer, leg slipping up between Tori’s to try to bring them into more alignment. Kissing along Tori’s shoulder, some of her hair stuck to Jade’s lip, so she pulled back, blowing out of the corner of her mouth, until Tori’s fingers brushed the hair away, and Tori’s laughing mouth met hers.

And slowly, between all the hot skin and intense kisses, she became aware of Tori’s hips, shifting subtly, seeking contact with the thigh between her legs. Jade grabbed her hip, trying to pull her closer, to bring her leg up with more leverage, but Tori responded by shifting her weight up, bearing Jade down onto her back and straddling her leg, leaning on her elbow.

“Ow,” Jade got out, as she tried to move her head and found her hair pinned by said elbow.

“Sorry,” Tori mumbled, lifting and adjusting and pushing Jade’s hair off her forehead for her, then sitting up enough to sweep her own hair back over her shoulder. In the ethereal light of her bedroom, Tori’s skin seemed to glow, warmer than anything else in the space. The effortless motion of her body as she swept her hair back made Jade’s stomach flip in anticipation and desire.

Tori leaned over her again, circling an arm under Jade, and Jade brought her own arm around Tori’s body to pull her close, and _oh_ this was more intense than before, with Tori on top of her, legs entwined, the weight of her against Jade’s chest. At least until her mouth began trailing down Jade’s neck to her chest, and this time, there was nothing to stop her from kissing past the tops of Jade’s breasts. Jade felt her eyes flutter shut as she felt lips pressing across her breasts, then closing softly around her nipple.

-

As soon as Tori’s mouth began kissing her way all over Jade’s breasts, she didn’t know how she hadn’t been doing this all along. Once again, she wanted to kick herself for making herself wait to see them, but at the same time, she felt satisfied in the moment, in being here, topless together, experiencing each other at the same time. Maybe things happened when they were supposed to. Maybe that was part of what Patrice had been trying to tell her, about taking intimacy at her own pace.

But Patrice was far from her thoughts as she swirled her tongue over Jade’s nipple, consciously holding herself back from being too eager with her motions. Jade’s hand was at the back of her head, fingers fisting in her hair, and Tori let the fingers of one hand move idly over Jade’s other breast, her concentration on her mouth, and the firm nipple between her lips. Jade was audibly moaning at the contact, sounds that seemed to ripple down Tori’s spine to collect like swirls of triumphant heat in her belly, and Tori thought she might never stop kissing Jade here if it made her sound so uncontrolled and greedy.

It felt like Tori spent a long time there, mouth moving over and between the breasts, fingers replacing the contact on the flesh her lips abandoned. She let her mouth get ravenous at the skin of Jade’s cleavage, leaving hickeys low enough that they could stay hidden, at Jade’s urging--she tightened her hand in Tori’s hair when her mouth had drifted too high up, admonishing her breathlessly, and it was sexy enough that Tori almost wanted to defy her, to hear it again, but she ultimately listened, letting her lips drift lower, and drinking in the sound of Jade’s responsive moans.

Jade was starting to try to sit up, and Tori settled back on her knees, wrapping her arms around Jade to help her, realizing as they settled into place that now Jade’s face was between her breasts, and Jade’s mouth was reciprocating all the attention Tori had been lavishing on her. She let her fingers run through Jade’s hair, pushing it back from her shoulders so it wouldn’t be in their way, shaking her own hair back for the same purpose, and letting her focus fixate on the sensation of a warm tongue stroking her nipple, lips rolling over it. Her fingers dug into Jade’s shoulder and into her scalp, urging her to continue, and she heard an answering harsh breath from Jade at the enthusiasm.

Tori let herself bask in the attention, feeling Jade’s arms both wrapped around her, fingers grasping onto the skin of her back and running through the ends of her hair while her mouth moved ceaselessly over Tori’s chest. Her heart was pounding so hard she felt like Jade had to be able to feel it through her flesh, her breath was shaky between the whimpers and moans falling from her lips. She kept her eyes closed, barely conscious of the darkness swirling behind her eyelids, focused so deeply on the touch of Jade’s lips and hands, the sounds of her eager breaths, her low growls of pleasure. Her leg was still between Tori’s, and as Tori felt her body grow hot, desirous, she shifted her hips, seeking any possible contact between them, though nothing about the angle was working.

Jade seemed to sense Tori’s need, however, and lifted her head, looking up at her as her mouth continued to lave kisses against the tops of her breasts. Tori lowered her head to catch Jade’s lips with her own, letting her weight tip forward purposefully to take Jade onto her back again, slow enough that they never stopped kissing all the way down. Jade’s arms were around her back, and Tori slipped an arm behind Jade’s neck again as they let their bodies come together, and this time, Tori was deliberately angling her hips, seeking the contact she craved, had been craving since the night in Jade’s backseat, since the afternoon in her bedroom, since...she didn’t know for how long. But since the night in the car, she had a better sense of how to arrange her lower body the way she needed, one knee up, the other thigh pressed right between Jade’s legs, and ground her hip down against Jade.

But just as she started moving, she felt hard pressure against her hip bone, and she realized, “Do I need to take off my belt?” she asked Jade quickly.

“Yes,” Jade replied, and as Tori lifted herself back up, she felt Jade’s hands already working the buckle, and her stomach leaped as Jade tugged the garment off in a whipping of leather and tossed it aside. Tori resumed her previous position, covering Jade’s body with her own, hips already moving freer.

Tori’s body was moving, chasing pleasure, seeking what had been building all day, even all week, her mouth fixated on Jade’s, her body enthralled with the contact between their skin and the movement of their hips. Jade was responding in kind to Tori’s movements, one hand sliding down to grip Tori by the seat of her pants, urging her movements. Jade’s knee lifted, giving her more leverage to move with Tori, and they found their pattern, their rhythm, their harmony, and it was not unlike performing, not unlike catching that groove with someone you were dancing or singing or acting with, as everything crystallized and they were both chasing the same end goal. For a fleeting second, Tori thought of that moment when Walter and Nancy had clicked for them, and felt that same powerful sense of connection, of reading each other without trying, without even words.

But Tori needed there to be some kind of words, because she was becoming aware of what was happening, and what was going to happen, so she lifted her head just enough to murmur, “Don’t stop.”

She felt Jade’s hands tighten on her body, Jade’s lips travel to her neck, Jade’s eager moan muffle against her throat. Tori felt her body clenching, only capable of focusing on the motion of her hips, her breathing shallow, her lips parted, eyes unfocused.

Until abruptly, everything burst, and like coming apart at the seams, Tori was crying out and shaking in Jade’s arms, enveloped in pleasure and love.

-

Tori was coming. Oh, god, _Tori was coming_ , on top of Jade, and all Jade could do was hold on, keep trying to match the increasingly erratic motion of her hips, keep holding her, keep kissing her skin, until mere moments later, Tori was burying her face in Jade’s neck and shoulder, still moaning and trembling, but softer now, coming down, burrowing closer.

Jade felt her own pleasure flooding her, stomach leaping and fluttering, hot all over from watching her girlfriend, from feeling her body against hers. She lay with Tori as she recovered, biting her lip and closing her eyes to savor every sensation, the last twitches of Tori’s body.

Tori seemed to come back to herself with a lazy drag of lips on Jade’s shoulder, and then she was shifting, lifting and wincing visibly as she uncurled her leg, twisting until she was lying along Jade’s side, hand running over the bare skin of her stomach and drifting up almost mindlessly to her breast. “Oh, god,” Tori murmured, echoing Jade’s earlier thought, but as her senses seemed to return to her, she seemed to read Jade’s expression, and snapped back into some sort of focus. “What about you?” she asked.

Jade raised an eyebrow, “What _about_ me?”

“I mean,” Tori was groping for words. It was adorable, not that Jade could focus much on that with the need roiling through her body, “What do you need to...finish?”

“You really want to know?” Jade asked.

Tori nodded, eyes bright and earnest. Jade took the hand that was idly caressing her breast and guided it down her body, between her legs, and began to move her own hand with it, over her pants.

Tori’s answer to this was a stuttering moan, and then she surged forward to kiss Jade, hand working to match the rhythm Jade was demonstrating. Before long, Jade withdrew her hand, and Tori continued on her own. Jade wrapped her arm around Tori, wanting to feel her body as close as possible, her leg lifting over Tori’s hip, and Tori pressed her breasts and hips close to Jade, her hand never ceasing its movements, bringing Jade closer with every shaky breath.

Jade’s head was tipping back of its own accord, Tori’s mouth following the exposed line of her throat, burrowing at the top of her chest, urgent breaths matching the steadily increasing pace of the strokes of her fingers, until abruptly, Jade felt everything peak and then crash, holding onto Tori for stability, her only feeble grasp on reality, every piece of her only aware of the hand between her legs, the lips on her chest, the skin against her skin, as she shook and rolled and jolted through her orgasm.

-

Tori couldn’t believe the elation she felt, as Jade came from the frantic motions of her own hand, moving over her through layers of clothes. It was almost as potent as her own orgasm, the pleasure of victory rushing through her limbs, and she almost laughed with the triumph of it, face buried against Jade’s chest, listening to the sounds pouring out of her.

But eventually, it seemed to become too much for Jade, because she was still shuddering as she loosened her legs, letting Tori’s trapped hand free and choking out, “Okay, okay, can’t--anymore.” Tori let her roll onto her back and nestled close, Jade’s arm still around her, bringing Tori’s head onto her shoulder. She felt the press of Jade’s lips against her eyebrow, which prompted Tori to nuzzle the pale expanse of her neck.

“I love you,” Tori offered, wanting to express everything she was feeling in this moment, to trap it in time, to make sure Jade knew exactly what it meant to her.

-

Jade pulled in a shaky breath, still coming down from the rush of release. Tori’s words just pushed her further, tapping into something even deeper, building on the physical pleasure, giving her a sensation that left her somewhere between tears and laughter. Jade West, the girl who embraced the darkness, was filled with sunshine, courtesy of Tori Vega. It sounded like something that should burn her up, from the inside out, like a vampire.

Instead, it made her feel invincible. “I love you,” echoed Jade, turning her body to pull Tori even more closely to her, if that was even possible. They remained tucked into each other until, eventually, she had to urge Tori to move. “My arm’s falling asleep.” Tori rolled to her back while Jade sat up, flexing and stretching her arm to resume the blood flow. “What?” she asked with a laugh, noticing Tori’s gaze fixed on her.

“Just...looking,” said Tori.

“Careful, that’s exactly what started all this.”

“Um, I’m pretty sure it was more about you putting those right in my face.”

“Guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.”

Tori’s eyes narrowed and she sprung upright, twisting and grabbing at Jade’s shoulders, sending her right back down against the pillows. She swung her leg over so she sitting up on her knees, straddling Jade’s waist, staring down at her, her hands resting gently on either side of Jade’s ribcage. “Yeah?”

Jade was pretty sure she recognized the glint in her girlfriend’s eyes. “Tori.”

“What?”

“You’re not...don’t you dare think about tickling me.”

“I’m not.” Tori’s fingers twitched, just barely. It was enough for Jade to writhe in response. “Jade, I’m literally just resting my hands.” But there was a stupid cute smirk on Tori’s lips. “If I were tickling you--”

She grabbed both of Tori’s wrists, but she didn’t actually make an effort to wrestle them away. “Do not. _Tori_.”

“--it would be more like…” Jade braced herself, but there wasn’t a follow up. Not immediately. But then, there it was, just for an instant, a quick squeeze of her sides that made Jade respond with involuntary laughter.

-

Tori allowed Jade’s grasp to pull her hands away, then they shifted to their natural position of their interlocked fingers. “Does it really bother you?” she asked, once Jade’s giggles had subsided.

“It’s just a lot,” Jade said. “Though, I guess it’s fair. I’ve done it to you.”

“If you really don’t like it, I won’t do it,” said Tori. They were still learning things about each other, especially physically. She didn’t want to do something that made Jade uncomfortable.

“Let’s just...keep it special,” Jade laughed as she said it, because, yeah, that sounded ridiculous.

But that was fine. There were plenty of other areas to cover. Like...the fact that Jade was half-naked beneath her. But Tori felt too far away in this position, so she slipped back down to lie next to Jade, kissing her shoulder, her collarbone, her neck, as if she aimed to catalog every single part of her with her lips. Then, Jade was moving, rolling away from her to retrieve her phone from the bedside table. Tori took advantage of the new positioning and tagged the back of Jade’s shoulder with a kiss, then another at the base of her neck.

Jade glanced back over her shoulder at her. “I’m trying to order us a pizza, but if you keep doing that…”

Tori relented, stretching out on her back and closing her eyes. She wondered where this fell within the useless baseball metaphor of sexual experience. It certainly didn’t seem like enough to claim her virginity, but it was also the most amazing and erotic thing she’d ever done with another person.

Presently, Jade rolled back over and wrapped herself around Tori, resting her head on Tori’s shoulder and nuzzling closer. Tori let her fingers trail over Jade’s arm, over her shoulder, down to her breast, as Jade’s hand did something similar, moving from her waist, skittering over her ribs, then mirroring the caress on Tori’s breast. They held each other for a long moment, sighing contentedly, fingers and hands wandering over expanses of skin, pressing delicate kisses against the parts their mouths could reach.

Eventually, they were kissing again, curled into each other. It wasn’t the fervent kisses of earlier, but comforting kisses, ones that felt like declarations of love passing between them. Tori wondered if they’d ever get out of bed this afternoon. She certainly didn’t want to. She thought she could spend all day kissing and touching Jade, and never tire of it.

But eventually, Jade’s phone buzzed. She stirred, rolling over to look at it. “Pizza’s here.”

“Oh, good,” Tori was just starting to realize she was hungry.

“Go upstairs and buzz him in the gate,” Jade instructed.

“Um, what?”

“I don’t feel like putting on a bra, and I can’t answer the door without one.”

Tori gave her a wounded look, “I take it you’re implying that I can.”

Jade shrugged, “You said it.” Her eyes dropped to Tori’s chest, and Tori watched as they grew very focused, lip disappearing between her teeth. That alone was enough to validate Tori, and she sighed, getting off the bed and finding her t-shirt where Jade had tossed it.

“How does your buzzer work?” Maybe it was self-explanatory, but Tori hadn’t seen it yet.

Jade groaned, and got up herself, pulling on her own shirt. Together, they headed up the stairs to the front door, and Jade buzzed the pizza guy in before disappearing out of sight to the kitchen.

“Did you pay him already?” Tori called.

“Yep. And tipped. All you have to do is answer,” Jade replied, “Think you can handle that?” she teased.

Tori glared in the general direction of Jade’s voice, and then there was a knock at the door. She opened it, accepted the pizza, thanked the driver, and closed and locked the door.

She brought the pizza into the kitchen, where Jade had pulled out plates and sodas, “Alright, let’s head back down.”

“You’re allowed to have food in your room?”

“Who’s here to stop me?” That was a good point, but Jade followed that with a more serious look. “Just don’t make a mess.”

“Got it,” Tori agreed.

Jade made space on her desk for the pizza, and picked up _Whip It_ as she did so.

“I still can’t believe you haven’t seen that,” Tori commented. “Do you want to watch it now?”

“Sure, I guess,” Jade replied.

“Is there a reason you’ve never seen it?” Tori wanted to know, since Jade still seemed slightly reluctant. She was sure it wasn’t a film that had somehow escaped Jade’s attention, and definitely seemed like one she would like.

Jade shrugged, “It came out right around the time I was thinking about getting into the idea of roller derby, and then everyone thought I was only into it because of the movie, so I refused to watch it on principle.”

“Well, if you’re ready to give up your principles, I think you’ll like it.”

Jade rolled her eyes, but it was playful, “Okay, yes, fine, I’ll watch it.”

-

They settled onto Jade’s bed with their pizza and sodas then Tori started the movie. The television in her room wasn’t as big as the one upstairs, but it was still far more acceptable than a laptop. And, you know, if they wanted to cuddle or more at any point during the movie, they could.

Jade wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting from the film. She supposed she’d assumed it was more of a comedy than a coming-of-age story. It was funny, in parts (Kristen Wiig was in it, hello), and the roller derby scenes were awesomely violent. But what really resonated were the parts about the mother-daughter relationship. Not in a Hallmark kind of way where she felt the urge to call her mom or anything, but in a reassuring way that maybe the conflict she had with her own mother was normal. The weirdest part of the movie was where the lead character was into some chiz-box dude, but at least she didn’t end up with him.

So, while she and Tori did curl up together once they’d finished lunch, they didn’t end up making out, at all, because the movie had held Jade’s attention the whole time. Also, actually, as Jade thought about it, they’d just had pizza, which made her find her bag and dig around for her cinnamon mints.

“Big plans?” Tori asked, watching Jade pluck one of the mints from the tin before she offered it to her.

“Just a courtesy.”

“Did you like the movie?”

“Yeah, actually. Good for Drew Barrymore.” Jade meant it. She was always down to support fellow female filmmakers and, okay, Tori was right. It was weird that she hadn’t seen the movie until today.

Jade got up to put the DVD back in its case, crunching her mint as she did so. When she sat back onto the bed, Tori was already reaching for her, kissing her, her hand slipping under the hem of Jade’s shirt to run over her skin. Jade shifted closer, hand in Tori’s hair, welcoming the attention and affection in their connection.

Before long, they were lying next to each other in bed, kissing, hands roaming under each other’s shirts. It was escalating, but not quite like before, not exactly like they were trying for round two. But they were certainly enjoying all the skin that was open to them with their bras still across the room.

Eventually, though, it was probably time to get Tori home. They both had homework--even if Jade’s was her working ahead on the semester project she wasn’t supposed to work ahead on--and Jade wasn’t entirely sure when her mother would actually be getting home, just that it would be in the evening sometime. And, Tori was worried that her parents would ask questions if she was out for too long with Jade.

“I’m already worried they’re going to be able to _tell_ ,” Tori told her conspiratorially.

“To tell _what_?”

“That we...you know. Got intimate.” Tori was blushing a little even as she said it, though she was at least looking directly at Jade.

Jade shook her head, “You can’t _tell_.”

“My parents probably can.”

Tori’s parents did seem scarily in touch with what was going on sometimes. Jade thought that if anyone would be able to tell, it might be them, but she didn’t tell Tori that. “You’re fine,” she assured. “Just...tell them we watched a movie and then got pizza and that my mom was totally home.”

“I’m _so_ not good at lying about things.”

“Then that’s why they’re so good at _telling_ what’s going on,” Jade told her. She kissed Tori, who sighed against her lips and already seemed more grounded. “Just keep it simple,” she advised, “The more details you throw in, the easier it is to get lost in your own web of lies.”

“Okay,” Tori nodded.

While Tori headed into the bathroom to get ready to go back to her house, Jade put back on her bra and straightened her clothes, checking her makeup in the mirror in her bedroom. She thought she looked presentable, and doubted anyone would guess what she had been up to.

Tori, though, came out of the bathroom and picked up her copy of _Whip It_ , slipped her shoes on, and nodded that she was ready to go, and she _definitely_ looked like she was trying to get away with something.

“Relax,” Jade told her on the drive back, “You look fine. Or, you _will_ look fine if you stop looking like you’re trying to hide a big secret.”

Tori struggled to arrange her face into neutrality. Jade glanced at her, but couldn’t really watch with the way she had to pay attention to the road. Really, Tori should be better than this, Jade knew she was good at acting.

“Okay,” she had an idea, “Let’s do some acting exercises.” She started walking Tori through some of the warm-ups Sikowitz always had them do, at least the ones she could feasibly do while sitting in a car. Vocal warm ups, relaxing the jaw, letting out deep breaths. Even though Tori knew them probably as well as Jade, she let Jade guide her, and at the end of it, looked much more grounded and comfortable.

“I think that helped,” Tori said.

“Good,” Jade replied. They were pulling into Tori’s driveway, and she reached for Tori’s hand to give her a reassuring squeeze. “Want me to walk you to the door?”

“No, that’s okay,” Tori smiled, leaning over to kiss her, “Don’t want my parents to try to grill you.”

“Fair.” Jade kissed her again before she could go too far, “See you tomorrow.”

-

Tori got out of Jade’s car, still feeling relaxed and ready to face her parents, though something definitely seemed off. It had been nagging at her since they left the house, the thought that there was something she was forgetting, that would make obvious what, exactly, had gone on with Jade that afternoon.

She was halfway up the driveway to her door when it hit her.

 _She forgot her bra_.

She stopped in the middle of her tracks in utter confusion. Should she go back to the car? What if her parents already noticed she was home? What if they had questions about why she’d left again? But what if she went inside and they _noticed_?!

Tori panicked. She hurried to the door, one arm folded awkwardly over herself, and let herself in.

Her dad looked like he was on his way out to the patio, and her mom was sitting at the dining room table doing something on her phone, but they both looked up as she came inside.

“Oh, hi, honey,” Holly said, “How was your day?”

“Can’t talk now!” Tori hurried for the staircase, “I need to use the bathroom!”

“Okay, then,” she heard her dad say as she climbed the stairs.

Trina was, of course, in the bathroom when she got upstairs. Not that she really had to use it anyway. Instead, she hurried to her drawer to get out a different bra and dashed off a text to Jade.

**OMG I LEFT MY BRA IN YOUR ROOM**

Jade was driving home, so she knew not to expect an answer right away. Now that she thought about it, maybe she should have waited to send a text. That was the kind of thing that could make Jade drive into a curb or something.

Instead, Tori ducked into her closet to put on a bra, and redressed herself, hoping she looked presentable.

She couldn’t understand how she had forgotten her bra. Oh, and her belt, too. This was so embarrassing.

She opened her closet door so she didn’t seem like a huge weirdo as she tried to pick a different belt to put on, and Trina cracked the bathroom door to shout sarcastically that the bathroom was free. Which Tori anticipated since she’d rattled the door handle when she came upstairs.

When she finally felt like she’d covered her mistake, she got a reply from Jade.

**TORI**

**How?!**

**Is that why you scampered into your house like a freak?**

**Okay, FINE, you were right**

**I guess I can get away with not wearing a bra sometimes**

**ALSO I left my belt**

**Do you want me to bring them over to you?**

**NO**

**My parents are both downstairs**

**Yeah, that’ll go over well**

**So, could they “tell”?**

**I don’t know**

**I ran away from them**

🤦

**Tori**

**What was I supposed to do?!**

**Okay I’m seriously dying over here**

**I’ll bring you your stuff tomorrow**

Omg, even that sounded so embarrassing. But she guessed she made it through carrying around a pair of her own underwear all day while people kept using it as a handkerchief.

**Okay as long as no one sees**

**Well I was planning to launch it like a rubber band from my locker to yours**

**But I guess I’ll just give it to you**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Hips Don’t Lie_ by Shakira (feat. Wyclef Jean).
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episodes:
> 
> One Thousand Berry Balls (4.07)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> Holly parked in the driveway of the West house and Tori led the way to the patio gate, preparing to buzz the house, but the gate swung open, causing Tori to jump back and cling to her mother.
> 
> “ _Holy chiz_!”
> 
> “Whoa, chill, it’s just me.” It was Jade. Though, she was the one who immediately grabbed Tori’s hand as soon as she was in reach and kept her close all the way on the walk to the front door.
> 
> “Jade?” came a voice from in the living room, “Are they--Oh, hi!” Mrs. West approached with a smile on her face. She looked about the same as when Tori had met her at Jade’s play, around Jade’s height, the same light eyes (though hers seemed to be green) and face-shape. But she was blonde and had much more of a new-age hippie vibe than Jade’s dark aesthetic. “Holly, so nice to see you again, so soon!”
> 
> “Thank you so much for having us,” Holly said. “This house is amazing.”
> 
> While their mothers exchanged mom-pleasantries and Tiffany showed Holly where she could leave her purse and coat, Jade and Tori managed to duck into the kitchen.
> 
> “You seem...weird,” Tori said.
> 
> “Yeah, of course I’m weird. Our moms are here and we’re here and we all have to have dinner together and I don’t know if I can take it.”
> 
> “What are you worried about?”
> 
> “I’m not…” Jade took a breath. “I’m not worried. I’m just...your mom is really cool and my mom is...such a mom. It’s embarrassing.”
> 
> Tori laughed. “My mom is _not_ cool.”
> 
> “Oh yeah, the weed-baking salsa-dancing M--”
> 
> “Jade, I swear to chiz if you say MILF--”
> 
> “--okay, I’m done.”


	8. Don't be just everything she wants, be everything she needs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder about that M-rating up there. K, bye.

“This is new,” Jade said, as Tori entered the car. She was wearing a dress that seemed a little upscale for school. Or...it just seemed like maybe Tori was going to a job interview instead of class.

“I just felt like dressing up a little, I don’t know.” Tori smoothed out the skirt of the dress across her legs.

Jade gasped. “Tori. Is this because we…” she elbowed her, “you know…”

“What?” Tori looked at her outfit, then up at Jade. “Why, does it seem like I’m trying to act like we’re...oh god.”

Maybe Jade was being a little much for a Monday morning. She didn’t need Tori hyperventilating on the way to school. “Whoa, okay. I’m just being an asshole. You look really nice.”

That seemed to calm Tori. “You think so?”

“Yeah. You kind of remind me of my first grade teacher. She smelled really nice and I remember her boobs were really soft when she hugged me and...this story is suddenly revealing a lot about me.”

“ _Ooooh_ , you had such a crush on your teacher,” Tori said wickedly, flipping the tables.

“So what if I did? Ms. Catalina was a very nice lady.” Jade finally put the car in reverse and began the drive to school by way of Jet Brew.

When they arrived at Hollywood Arts, there was already a cluster of people in the main hall and, as they drew closer, Jade heard a familiar accented voice. Mason Thornesmith. He was swarmed by students and appeared to be attempting to break out of it, without much success. Jade had been wanting to find out what was happening with Tori’s contract and suddenly here he was, like some kind of springtime miracle.

“We should ask him about your money,” said Jade.

“What, here?”

Jade shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Tori looked uncertain, but Jade gave her hand a squeeze in support. “Hey, Mason!” Whoa, hey, coming right outta the gate with the first-name basis. Kinda ballsy. Jade was all about it.

“Is that...Tori Vega?” Mason immediately used the connection to push his way through the crowd of high school students. “Excuse me.”

Jade wondered where all this guy’s usual entourage was. “And, oh hey, it’s also me.”

“Ah, the brassy one. Kate.”

“ _Jade_ ,” Tori corrected. Her tone was...intense. Sexy.

“Yes, Jade. Of course. Tori and Jade, so good to see you.” Mason kept glancing over his shoulder to see if the flock of students was still present. They were.

“I, uh,” Tori was starting to waver, but then she zeroed back in, eye on the prize, “wanted to ask you about my performance fee. In the contract it said--”

“Well,” Mason scoffed, “that contract was breached when--”

“Hey, Tori, remember that time this creep made you dress up like an anime sex doll and shove pasta down the pants of an American hero?” interjected Jade, loudly, so everyone could hear. She didn’t want to steal Tori’s thunder, but she didn’t want her to lose it, either. “I think I can just pull up the video…”

“That’s not necessary,” said Mason, waving for Jade to put her phone away. “I’ll admit, we’ve had our differences, but...I suppose we could honor the original contract. If you agree to just put all of that other business behind us. Don’t need any more scandals, do we?”

Tori glanced at Jade, then back at Mason. “I think I can do that.” She squinted. “What do you mean any _more_ scandals?”

“It’s all part of the business,” dismissed Mason.

“Mr. Thornesmith?” Courtney, one of the tech students, approached, along with Sinjin. “They’re ready for you in the black box.”

It turned out he was there for a Q and A session with the Business of Music students. Something felt off to Jade, so she cornered Sinjin to probe him for answers. “What the deal with Thornesmith?”

She didn’t have to press too hard because he immediately said, “Apparently, he got one too many DUIs and this is his community service.”

Huh. Well, that was something. On top of everything else, he’d requested for Tori to introduce him. He really did have a good handle on spin and image, Jade supposed. Admirable, if not entirely unethical.

Tori, like a true professional, threw herself fully into the role of “young woman who hadn’t actually been totally screwed over by a record executive” and gave him a warm introduction. Only to have him fire someone over the phone in front of the entire class. That, admittedly, was entertaining as hell. Jade watched as Tori continued to handle the Q and A, though it was really hard to concentrate past her outfit. It really was giving Jade some Hot for Teacher vibes, which she ultimately chose to fully give into while Robbie and Trina tried to worm their way into Mason’s good graces. She was halfway into a daydream fantasy about what she and Teacher Tori could be doing up against the podium until she was shaken out of it when the Flour Bomber (this masked maniac who had been throwing flour in people’s faces all over school) burst into the theater and, pow, flour bombed Trina, right in the face.

 _Who was this guy_? Jade made it her mission to find out.

After school, when Jade got home after dropping Tori off and enjoying a little Driveway Time, she came home to find her mom was in her office, door open. Since the office was right next to the front door, it was impossible to slip by unnoticed. Well, maybe her mom was working on something.

“Jade?”

No such luck. “What?”

“Come in for a minute.”

Jade sighed and stepped into her mom’s office. Tiffany was sitting at her desk, a lit incense stick pluming in front of her, several drawers open and paperwork and magazines stacked on top of the desk. “Have you seen my tarot cards?” she asked.

Jade followed her natural inclination when it came to her mother: lie and deflect, “Nope, no idea.”

But Tiffany shot her a hard look. “Come on, Jade, who else would have them?”

Jade let out an irritated breath, “Alright, yes, I borrowed them.”

Her mom actually looked pleased, “I’m so glad you’re taking an interest! Whenever I asked you before if you wanted to learn to read them, you always said no.”

“I’m not _that_ interested. Remember that week I couldn’t use my phone? I got really, really bored. That’s all.”

“Okay, well, when you’re done with them, can I have them back?”

“Sure, I’ll go get them now.” Anything to get out of this conversation.

“Wait a minute.”

Jade turned back around with a groan, “Whaaaat?”

Her mother regarded her keenly for a moment, tapping her nail on the desk. Jade felt like she might crawl out of her skin with the scrutiny and the repetitive sound. But then Tiffany’s face brightened, “So, Wednesday we’re going to have Tori over for dinner.”

Jade raised her eyebrows. “We are?”

“Yes,” was the succinct reply, then, “I was thinking about getting Gankou Chicken, do you think she’ll like that?”

“Uh, sure,” Jade replied, “Sounds good.” She knew this was coming sooner or later. Better to get it out of the way now. At least she had some time to warn Tori. She stood for a moment while her mom shuffled papers. “I’m gonna go.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

Jade walked out quickly before her mom could try to chat some more. She also decided to keep the tarot cards for now. She’d put them back when her mom wasn’t home.

She sent a text to Tori.

**So my mom’s convinced that Wednesday we’re having you over for dinner**

**Oh! Okay**

**Sounds like it could be fun**

**Oh don’t worry**

**It won’t be**

**Well, you call my mom by her first name**

**And you tell me about her “sensual dance moves”**

**So I think it’s only fair that I get this**

**I never said she had sensual dance moves**

**I said she’s a sensual dancer**

**…**

**You know, I could start getting rides with Trina**

**I’ll behave**

**LOL**

**You’ve got a lot to learn about my mom**

-

“Here I am! Just walking through school, hoping the Flour Bomber doesn’t ruin my awesome expensive outfit by, you know...flour bombing me.”

Tori was at her locker chatting with Andre as she heard what was unmistakably Jade’s voice coming through some kind of amplifier, near the stairs. She frowned at the words, because when Jade had picked her up this morning, she’d actually thought her outfit was pretty basic, you know, for Jade. Just jeans, a red flannel, and a black tank top. Tori closed her locker and walked toward the stairs, Andre following curiously at her heels.

If hearing her girlfriend’s strange announcement on the stairs was confusing, _seeing_ her was a true shock. She was wearing some kind of blue gown with rhinestones circling the bodice and a frilly skirt cut to show a _lot_ of leg and matching heels. Tori stared as Jade made her way down the stairs slowly, carrying a small amplifier and speaking into it.

“That better not happen!” Jade said as she reached the bottom, looking around. “Okay,” she said, lowering the mouthpiece and turning away to approach Tori.

“Um, wow,” Tori said, “Where’d you get that outfit?”

“Borrowed it from the costume room,” Jade said casually, “I wore this for a staged scene last year, I figured it would still fit.”

Tori knew Jade had been interested in the Flour Bomber yesterday; she talked a few times about how she didn’t understand who he was or what his motivations were. He’d struck a couple of times at the end of the previous week, but it hadn’t been anyone they’d known. It was almost as though Jade took his strike against Trina personally, though that couldn’t be it. It was probably more that it had happened right in front of her, and they’d all seen him. None of them had seen the previous attacks, just the aftermath.

But this was something else entirely. Jade’s face got intense. “I want to know who that Flour Bomber is,” she told Tori and Andre.

“Ahh,” Andre gestured to her outfit, “So you wore that to get his attention.”

“Yep,” Jade confirmed, “And when he tries to get me, I am going to grab him and wrestle him down to the ground.”

“In...that?” Tori asked uncertainly, running her eyes again over the outfit. Okay, it was gaudy and flashy and sort of ridiculous, but Tori kind of liked how it looked on Jade. All that leg was very nice to look at.

“Yes,” Jade said, sounding a little irritable.

“I mean,” Tori tried to word this carefully, “Tackling someone in a dress...might be...well, he might like it.”

“ _I’d_ like that,” Andre chuckled.

“ _Andre_!” Tori said, scandalized, punching him on the arm. So inappropriate! Jade was staring at him in distaste.

“Ow! I wouldn’t like it,” Andre retracted immediately, rubbing his arm and looking appropriately ashamed.

At that moment, Robbie brushed by them, knocking into Andre and shouting, “I don’t know!” before striding away.

Tori stared at him in confusion. Cat approached them, watching Robbie walk away, looking concerned.

“You guys worried about Robbie?” Andre asked.

“Totally,” Tori replied. She couldn’t tell if Jade was checked out of the conversation or not, because she was looking around them. Probably keeping an eye out for the Flour Bomber.

“Yeah,” Cat put in, “He called me in the middle of the night last night and just yelled ‘What do I do what do I do what do I do what do I do?’”

“What’d you say?” Tori asked.

“I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know,” Cat replied.

Beck wandered over from his locker, looking concerned. “You guys talking about Robbie selling Rex?”

Jade, apparently, was paying attention, because she said, “I can’t imagine Robbie without Rex. It’s like Sikowitz without clown pants or Tori without that ridiculous monster purse.”

Tori rolled her eyes while her friends--mostly Andre (what was with him today?)--laughed. There was nothing wrong with her purse! “I think Robbie _should_ sell him,” Tori declared, bringing them back to the matter at hand.

“Why?” Cat sounded astonished.

“Because! I think we all know Robbie’s relationship with Rex is...you know...it’s not natural!” Tori exclaimed.

Jade gave her a look, “Oh, this from the girl who saved Rex’s life last year after we had him good and dead?”

She had a point. But the longer Tori had watched them together, the more she’d wondered if having Rex around was actually healthy for Robbie.

Just then Sikowitz ran up to them, attempting to hide from a mother and her hellspawn of a child. As they talked--and as they held Andre and Sikowitz back from attacking the hellspawn--the story came out: the daughter was here to apologize for throwing an egg at Sikowitz while he was showering with his window open.

It didn’t go well. After the least sincere apology Tori had ever heard (and she lived with Trina) the child kicked Sikowitz in the shins and ran off.

And then the Flour Bomber showed up.

Jade didn’t even have time to react as Sikowitz, still down from the kick, got flour bombed right in the face, Jade screaming after him futilely that he should have bombed her. “We’re never going to know who he is!” Jade said in frustration.

“Or why he’s doing this,” Beck agreed, gesturing to the dejected Sikowitz, sitting on the floor, covered in flour.

“Poor Sikowitz,” Andre sympathized.

“He looks like a big hairless donut,” Cat remarked, before wandering away to get something to eat.

“We’d better get out of here before we get flour bombed,” Beck suggested.

“Relax,” Tori said, “Everyone knows the Flour Bomber only strikes once a day.”

But as soon as they turned around, there he was, with a flour bomb for both Beck and Tori. He danced gleefully and ran off.

“Sometimes twice,” Tori amended.

At least she had still been turned a little bit in the other direction, because she didn’t get it nearly as badly as Beck did. While he looked like the Ghost of Christmas Past in a bad stage production, Tori was pretty sure she’d be able to salvage her outfit and make it through the day.

She was in the bathroom with Jade, trying to de-flour herself as well as she could. The problem was, of course, they couldn’t get the flour wet, or it would stick. So Jade was helping her brush it all out of her hair while Tori tried to beat the flour out of her shirt.

“I think you need to amend your plan,” Tori told her.

Jade seemed unmoved, “I would have gotten him.”

“Jade, he was right there, twice, and you didn’t grab him.”

“He didn’t get close enough to me.”

“Okay, but it’s really hard to react when you get flour bombed. Like, it’s hard to even _see_ for a minute.”

“I’d be so mad I’d grab him right away,” Jade insisted, but she seemed to consider what Tori was saying. “But you’re right,” she admitted, “We need a new plan.”

“We? I’m more worried about Robbie. And that’s saying something, since I got flour bombed today.”

“We can worry about both things.” She looked down at her dress. “Guess I might as well change out of this.”

“Aww, too bad,” Tori said, giving her a deliberate once-over.

It was rewarding to see a little smirk in response.

It turned out they did have to deal with both things. Robbie was asking around for a ride to Neutronium Records that afternoon, because he’d decided to sell Rex, and Tori convinced Jade to take them. Jade said she had no interest in actually going back up to Mason’s office, especially not to meet his child (“it’s disturbing to me that he breeds,”) so she waited in the parking garage while Tori, Cat and Robbie went upstairs.

It did not go smoothly. Robbie sold Rex to Francis, who Cat referred to only as “the weird boy,” Tori fumbled the wad of cash that Francis passed them, and Robbie passed out. She and Cat had to drag him out before they revived him and guided him back to Jade’s car.

“What happened to him?” Jade asked as they assisted a dazed Robbie into the backseat. “And what is _that_?” she asked, waving a disapproving finger at Goonter, the ventriloquist dummy in Cat’s arms that Francis had given him in addition to the money he’d paid for Rex.

“This is Goober!” Cat declared, patting his wooden head.

“Goonter,” Tori corrected. “Robbie fainted when Francis put his hand in Rex.”

Jade cringed. “I already hate all of this.”

From the backseat, Robbie whimpered and Tori wondered if she’d made the right choice in encouraging the sale. She couldn’t tell if her girlfriend was really good at reading her mind or just taking advantage of the moment, but Jade reached over and took her hand while they waited for the stoplight to change.

“Any luck figuring out the Flour Bomber?” Tori asked.

Jade shook her head. “No. He’s a slippery son of a gank.”

By the time they dropped off Cat and Robbie, it was already after six, so they shared a too-short goodbye kiss in the driveway before Tori headed inside. When she got up to her room, she realized it was Tuesday and Jade still hadn’t returned her bra.

-

Jade actually had the bra in her car glove compartment for the last two days, she just kept forgetting about it with the search for the Flour Bomber and Robbie’s weird puppet problem. On Wednesday, when she picked Tori up, she immediately opened the glove box to reveal the purple undergarment.

“Wait, why is in there?” Tori said, immediately closing the compartment, leaving the bra inside.

“So I wouldn’t forget.”

“But then you did forget.”

“Well, I’m remembering now. Why’d you leave it in there? I thought you wanted it back.” Jade had received a very specific text the night before about giving the bra back.

“I _do_ want it back, but I don’t want to carry it all around school.”

“Okay, well, I hope I don’t get pulled over, because they’ll ask for license and registration and then I’ll have to open it and be like,” Jade dipped into a breathy voice, “‘Sorry, Officer, it’s in here somewhere under Tori Vega’s bra. Maybe you know her father, the Lieutenant?’” She dropped the vocal act. “And it’ll be a whole thing. But maybe I’ll get out of the ticket. So...I guess you can leave it, if you want.”

Tori did leave it and now Jade was convinced she’d be driving around Los Angeles with her girlfriend’s bra in her car for the rest of time. There were worse things, she guessed. Like dinner tonight with Tori and her mom. Jade knew it would probably be fine, but she also just didn’t want to have to deal with some kind of awkward question and answer session. She was also particularly irritable because her period had shown up, like clockwork, because she was still taking birth control, if only for the fact that she didn’t want to add any changes to her routine. At least she knew when to expect it and, even though she’d been taking it her entire high school career, she assumed it made her periods less painful, which meant there was some ganked up alternate version of them where they could actually be worse and she hated the mere idea of that.

Anyway, she was _trying_ to actually listen to Tori while she was talking about Kojeezy offering to hear songs by the songwriting students, but Jade was entirely preoccupied by the identity of the Flour Bomber. She caught herself, though, and managed to catch the last half of what Tori was saying about the possibility that Kojeezy might buy someone’s song, if he liked it.

“That’s really cool,” Jade said. She meant it, even if she’d only heard part of what Tori had said.

“Are you nervous about tonight?” Maybe Tori just assumed Jade’s lack of focus was because of dinner. Which, maybe it was, kind of.

“Not nervous. Just...my mom is...annoying.”

“You think everyone’s annoying.”

“Most people are,” Jade agreed. “But she’ll probably ask how we met and want to know a bunch of details and I just don’t like sharing that much.”

“We’ll get through it.”

Jade pulled into the Jet Brew line and Tori managed to surprise her when she ordered a cinnamon cold brew instead of some sugared up garbage drink. “Gotta say, Vega, I’m impressed,” she said, passing Tori the drink.

“Well,” Tori began. “It’s cinnamon. It’s coffee. It’s basically like kissing you, but in a drink.”

The warm, fuzzy feeling that enveloped Jade reminded her that whatever dinner was going to be like, she could handle it because Tori would be there, too.

It stuck with her through her first class, just the sensation of being happy, and she was still in a good mood when she ran into Robbie, Cat, and Beck on the stairway landing. Robbie was showing off the PearMaps app on his PearPad, which was...so dorky. But, okay, the app was cool if you, say, wanted to look up the house where they filmed _The Scissoring_ and take a virtual tour of the entire neighborhood there Tawny Walker-Black stalked her victims.

“Oh my gosh, that’s where we eat lunch!” Cat exclaimed.

“Yeah, the PearMaps satellite must have taken the shot a few months ago,” explained Robbie.

“From space,” Beck added, needlessly.

Or...maybe not needlessly, because Cat then waved upward. “Hi!”

“Cat, we’re inside,” Jade reminded.

“Hey, is that us?” Beck asked, pointing at the screen.

“Oh my gosh,” said Robbie. “That is us.”

Sure enough, that was their usual lunch table. “Oh yeah,” confirmed Jade. “I’m wearing my red boots.” It was, actually, pretty awesome to know she could be seen from space.

But Beck was looking at something specific. “Uh, can you zoom in tighter on Jade?”

“I think,” Robbie said, before zooming in on the image.

The image of her, Jade West, scratching her nose. Only it looked very much like she was... _not_ scratching it. “No. Okay, no. I--I’m not--”

“Picking your nose?” asked Cat.

“ _Cat_!” Jade needed everyone to understand the reality of this dumb, stupid satellite image. “I was not picking it. I was scratching the outside of my nose, like this.” She demonstrated a very normal, non-picking way that one might scratch an itch on their nose.

“Oh, yeah,” Robbie said. “I see. From this angle it just looks like you’re--”

“Don’t say it!” Seriously, she was three seconds away from throwing his PearPad down the steps. “Okay, nobody mentions this to anyone.”

Beck and Robbie promised, but Cat said, “You mean you picking your nose?”

“ _Cat_! I was _scratching_ it.” Jade had to walk away before she hurt someone and everyone was really pressing their luck by laughing once she was down the stairs, but she whipped around and shot them a glare.

To make matters worse, Robbie, who seemed normal enough that morning showing off PearMaps, had a meltdown in the middle of the day about Rex, spewed a bunch of nonsense at them, and then proceeded to get flour bombed, right in the middle of Sikowitz’s classroom. Tori had been caught in the crossfire, which meant another trip to the bathroom to brush flour off an outfit that wasn’t even Jade’s. And to top it off, they did finally catch the Flour Bomber by cornering him in the hallway only to find out he was just some jerk named Tom Vineman on semester break from East Hills High. He didn’t even have a manifesto or anything. Jade was thoroughly disappointed in her school day when she and Tori began the drive home.

Tori, at least, was sympathetic to the PearMaps problem and offered a bit of consolation. “I mean, no one really knows to zoom in and look right at that angle. It’s an app that covers the entire planet. The odds of someone seeing it are, like, I don’t know. Something low.”

Jade thanked her with an extended kiss in the driveway before confirming, “See you at six.”

“Yeah. My mom told me this morning she’d give me a ride.”

“Do you want your bra now, or should I present it to you at the dinner table?”

Tori narrowed her eyes and quickly snatched her bra out of the glove compartment and shoved it deep into her purse before heading into the house.

-

At a quarter-to-six, Tori came downstairs to find her mom already waiting for her. She was kind of dressed up, so Tori assumed she must’ve had her own plans for the evening. Once they were in the car and halfway to Jade’s house, Tori realized that her plans and her mother’s plans...were the same plans.

“I just think it was so nice of Tiffany to invite us over like this, don’t you?”

“Uh,” Tori wasn’t sure what to say. “Yeah?” She had to text Jade, immediately.

**Omg MY MOM is also having dinner with us???**

**WHAT**

**WHAT**

**She said your mom invited her**

**WHAT**

**How is this happening?**

**My soul is leaving my body**

****

**Goodbye I love you**

**It’s not that bad**

**I think**

**I love you too**

Holly parked in the driveway of the West house and Tori led the way to the patio gate, preparing to buzz the house, but the gate swung open, causing Tori to jump back and cling to her mother.

“ _Holy chiz_!”

“Whoa, chill, it’s just me.” It was Jade. Though, she was the one who immediately grabbed Tori’s hand as soon as she was in reach and kept her close all the way on the walk to the front door.

“Jade?” came a voice from in the living room, “Are they--Oh, hi!” Ms. West approached with a smile on her face. She looked about the same as when Tori had met her at Jade’s play, around Jade’s height, the same light eyes (though hers seemed to be green) and face-shape. But she was blonde and had much more of a new-age hippie vibe than Jade’s dark aesthetic. “Holly, so nice to see you again, so soon!”

“Thank you so much for having us,” Holly said. “This house is amazing.”

While their mothers exchanged mom-pleasantries and Tiffany showed Holly where she could leave her purse and coat, Jade and Tori managed to duck into the kitchen.

“You seem...weird,” Tori said.

“Yeah, of course I’m weird. Our moms are here and we’re here and we all have to have dinner together and I don’t know if I can take it.”

“What are you worried about?”

“I’m not…” Jade took a breath. “I’m not worried. I’m just...your mom is really cool and my mom is...such a mom. It’s embarrassing.”

Tori laughed. “My mom is _not_ cool.”

“Oh yeah, the weed-baking salsa-dancing M--”

“Jade, I swear to chiz if you say MILF--”

“--okay, I’m done.”

Jade managed to pull herself together and she sat with Tori on one side of the dining room table while their mothers sat across from them. Tiffany began to pass around the dishes she’d picked up from Gankou Chicken and, surprisingly, it was Jade who kicked off the conversation.

“ _So_ ,” she said, eyeing them both, “how did you two meet?”

Tori was very curious about this, as her mom hadn’t said more than that she’d been invited. Under the table, she bumped her leg against Jade’s, just to have some point of contact.

“Well, yesterday afternoon, I was over at Exhale, picking up my medicated bath bombs and, it turns out, they’re one of Holly’s products.”

“I was there, giving out samples of CBD honey sticks and she realized I was Holly of Holly’s Herbal Remedies…”

Tori silently thanked chiz that her mom hadn’t been handing out samples of some of her _other_ products.

“And then when she said Holly _Vega_ , I just had to ask if she was related to a _Tori_ Vega.”

“Wow,” Jade droned, poking at her chicken. “What a riveting meet-cute.”

“Honey, you’re the one who asked,” said Tiffany.

The dinner conversation continued, mostly between their mothers, which Tori actually preferred. She’d been gearing up to be asked a ton of questions about herself or her family and, now, her mom was fielding most of them.

Until Tiffany eyed Tori and Jade from across the table and asked, “Well, how’d it happen?”

Jade stared down at her plate. “What?”

“You know, you two,” Tiffany prompted. “You know I’m a sucker for romance.”

“Uh,” Tori looked over at Jade, who was now squinting and looking somewhere past Tori. “Well, we were just friends for a while…”

Whatever dissociative trance Jade had been trying to put herself in was shattered because Jade snickered and said, “We were _not_ friends.”

“We were _kind of_ friends,” Tori insisted. This was not the time for Jade’s need to be contrarian. They had to stick together.

“Yeah, okay,” was Jade’s insincere affirmation.

“Did _you_ want to tell it?” Tori asked.

“Nope. Carry on.”

Tori refused to actually look back at either of their mothers because this was already mortifying and she didn’t need to see whatever faces they were making about this whole thing. “Um, and then we did that play together where we had to play husband and wife...which…” Well, Tori couldn’t really talk about how they just started making out basically every day. “We just started to get to know each other better and then...Jade asked me out.”

“That is so sweet.” Tiffany literally had her hand over her ample chest.

“That’s me,” Jade droned darkly, eyes focused somewhere in the center of the table. “A _real_ sweetheart.”

“Wait, but then,” Holly tilted her head, considering something. “What about before that, when you two were kissing in the car out in front of the house all the time?”

Tori wanted to melt into the chair and under the table and through the floor and into the Los Angeles water table and flow out into the ocean and evaporate into the atmosphere. How could her own mother say something so totally and unnecessarily horrifying while at dinner with her girlfriend’s mom?

But then, somehow, Tiffany managed to step up with something even better (or worse, depending on which daughter you were). “You know, when I was in college--”

“No. Mom. No.” Jade’s head tipped upward as she closed her eyes.

“--I had a girlfriend. Nothing too serious, but we, you know, experimented.” Tiffany put a hand out. “Oh, not that I’m saying that’s what you two are doing. No, I can tell this is special.”

“Maybe aliens will just beam right in, right now, and take me away,” Jade said.

Tiffany was not at all fazed by her daughter’s behavior. “What about you Holly, did you ever have a special lady? Before Mr. Vega, of course…”

“I never did,” said Holly. Tori was thrilled to have dodged the Most Embarassing Mom bullet with that, but then she heard her mother say, “Actually, because of that, David and I really weren’t sure how to talk to Tori about what to expect from her relationship, so we have this wonderful woman...her name is Patrice Kline, she’s a sex educator…”

“Oh my god,” Tori found Jade’s hand under the table and grabbed on for dear life.

“Okay, so we’re done,” Jade said, tossing her napkin on the table.

“Do you have a number for her?” asked Tiffany.

“Nope,” Jade shook her head. “Don’t need to call Patrice. If I have any questions, Tori has all the literature.” She stood and urged for Tori to come with her.

“Maybe _I’m_ interested in Patrice,” Tiffany shot back.

“Well, then I hope she’s your type. Tori and I are going away until you two calm down.”

Tori didn’t want to be rude but she also didn’t want to die of sheer embarrassment.

Tiffany seemed to pick up on Tori’s hesitation. “Oh, go on. We’ll be fine.”

Down in Jade’s room, Jade immediately fell, face-first, onto her bed and covered her head with her pillows before she screamed into the mattress. Tori wasn’t really sure what she should do, but she took a chance and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She couldn’t tell if Jade was actually angry or just experiencing the deep parental-induced awkwardness that Tori was feeling.

She placed a gentle hand on Jade’s back and rubbed back and forth. When she wasn’t shrugged away, she got a little more comfortable on the bed and kept stroking across the back of Jade’s thin, black sweater.

Finally, Jade pulled her head from under the pillows. “That was a nightmare.”

“It could have been worse.”

“How?” Jade scoffed, rolling onto her side.

“I don’t know, your mom could have found my bra under the table.”

“Why would your bra be under the table?”

“I don’t know, you were the one keeping it in your glove box.” Tori moved up on the bed, but let her feet hang off the edge, still trying to keep her boots off of Jade’s comforter. Jade repositioned to lay her head on her lap as Tori stroked her hair. “So, do you still think my mom is cool?”

“Yes.” Jade looked up at Tori. “Sure, that was a brutal serve about the car stuff, but that’s how Holly Vega rolls.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Aw, but I’m in love with _you_ , so…” Jade captured Tori’s hand and pressed a kiss to her palm.

They’d been pretty free with their declarations of love for about a week now and it still reverberated through Tori, every single time. She hoped that would never change. How could it? Especially from someone like Jade, who was so selective in who she allowed to get close to her.

-

They hung out in Jade’s room until Tiffany called down that she was serving dessert. “So, if you want any of this Effervescent Lava Brownie Cake, you’d better get up here before we can’t stop ourselves,” she said.

“I don’t want this to affect our relationship, but I really need to get up there,” Tori said.

Jade didn’t want to admit it, but she’d been daydreaming about the brownie cake ever since her mom had mentioned ordering from Gankou Chicken. “Fine.” She allowed Tori to pull her up off the bed (but not before Jade tugged her back and demanded a kiss) and lead her back up to the dining room table.

At least the dessert course was more just general questions about school and if Jade was ready for her semester project (chiz, yes, could she please just get it over with) and what Tori was working on to perform for Kojeezy.

The Effervescent Lava Brownie Cake didn’t last long, and with dessert ending, it was about time for Tori and Holly to leave.

“Tori, help me gather these dishes for Tiffany.” Holly instructed.

“No, no,” Tiffany insisted, “Don’t worry about it! You’re our guest.”

While their mothers were distracted by arguing about decorum, Jade grabbed Tori’s hand and snuck her off into the front hall to steal a goodbye kiss while their mothers were occupied.

Evidently, Tiffany won the argument, however, because only a moment later, Holly was retrieving her purse and coat and they were saying goodbye. Jade only let go of Tori’s hand when she was actually heading out the door.

“I think that went very well,” Tiffany said happily as the door closed.

Jade groaned, “It definitely did not.”

Tiffany ignored her, “Well, I think Tori is just lovely. I’m happy for you, sweetheart. And don’t you think Holly is a riot?”

Well, Jade guessed they were in agreement there. She helped her mom gather the dishes and mostly ignored her chatter about how the evening had gone, and then escaped to her room.

A little later on, she had a text from Tori.

**Um, Andre just showed up at my house?**

**Like...with luggage??**

**Um. What?**

**IDK his grandma was driving him nuts and he was trying to work on his song**

**But I didn’t realize he was planning to move in to do that**

**Tori, if it’s not cool, you should tell him that**

**No, I mean, I think it’s fine**

**My parents don’t seem to mind**

**Trina’s throwing a fit, of course**

**Because I’m allowed to have you stay over and also a boy stay over**

**I hope that a sleepover with Andre is very different than ours**

**Omg**

**He’s sleeping on the couch**

**Speaking of sleepover**

**We should have another one**

**We should**

**Maybe at your house**

**I’ll try to find out when my mom is out of town next**

**All I know is she’s home this weekend**

**Okay**

**We’ll figure it out**

Well, well. Sweet, sweet virginal Tori was on board with planning an overnight rendezvous. Though Jade was well aware that Tori wasn’t quite as prim and proper as she seemed, given how her hands were, like, magnetically attracted to Jade’s boobs anytime they kissed for longer than three seconds. And then Sunday...Jade’s heart rate picked up just thinking about it. Sunday had been really, _really_ good. Given that their last actual overnight stay together had been before they’d even started dating, Jade began to consider just what might occur now that they were girlfriends who were in the process of exploring how to get each other off.

Jade let her thoughts continue to drift through her experience on Sunday. It was kind of funny, how she still thought about Tori in terms of her inexperience and her virginity, and yet...Tori was the one who had made herself come and then made Jade come during their time together. Like, sure, Jade was assisting, giving Tori something to grind against, and guiding Tori’s hand between her legs, at least at first, but Tori had really been the one to drive the erotic encounter, and Jade had loved that. It was _hot_.

She was also a little jealous of it.

Not in the way that she was usually jealous in romantic relationships, but more that...Tori had experienced something new and exciting, and though Jade had been there for it, enjoyed it immensely, and wanted to do it again, she also wanted to play more of the role that Tori had. Specifically, _she_ wanted to be the one to get Tori off next time.

It wasn’t really something she’d considered much while dating Beck. Getting a guy off was kind of a given, if a little unpredictable, only really consistent in that it generally meant the sex was over. It had been validating--of her attractiveness, of their connection--but it had never really been the purpose of sex for her. That had been more about exploration, and feeling close to him, and thought those elements were certainly present in what she and Tori were doing, Jade was realizing there was another goal-driven component to what she wanted them to do together. Getting another girl off was...there was some kind of power and prowess in the display of it, and Tori had embodied that, and Jade wanted a taste of it.

She considered doing what Tori had done to her. Getting her off through her pants...that was impressive, too. Jade wanted to know if she could do it, what it would be like to have Tori writhing under her touch. She let her thoughts wander, to how it might feel to touch Tori through her jeans, but quickly, Jade started to wonder what it might be like if the pants were entirely removed from the equation. She lay there, letting her thoughts drift, the humiliating dinner almost completely forgotten as she considered the various ways she could have sex with her girlfriend, burning with more desire at each escalation of her fantasy.

The next morning, her mental image of Sexy Tori was juxtaposed by a Very Sleepy Tori Who Barely Dragged Herself Down the Driveway and Into Jade’s Car.

“Whoa, what happened to you?” Jade asked, concerned that maybe Tori was sick. She pressed a hand to her forehead, but the result felt pretty normal.

“I barely slept,” Tori mumbled. “Andre was playing the piano until four in the morning.”

“Good thing our first stop is always coffee,” said Jade. Yeah, _really good_ thing because Tori fell asleep on the way to Jet Brew and didn’t even stir until Jade was at the window, paying for their drinks. “Okay, Sleeping Beauty, see if this helps.” Jade handed her the cinnamon cold brew she’d bought for her because Tori had been snoring while she’d placed the order and it was the most reasonable thing Tori had requested in recent memory. And, okay, because Tori had specifically said it reminded her of kissing Jade.

The coffee did seem to perk Tori up, though she was definitely more sluggish than Jade had ever seen her when they walked down the halls. Jade slipped her arm around Tori’s waist so she could lean on Jade’s shoulder.

“I’m so tired,” Tori yawned.

“Wow, had no idea,” quipped Jade, watching as Tori sleepily fumbled through her locker. “Chiz, Vega, you need to pull it together if you’re going to make it past noon.” She reached past Tori to find the notebook she knew Tori needed for first period. “Put this in your monster purse, then finish your coffee.”

“Mmkay,” Tori replied, sucking down what was left of the cold brew through the straw.

She’d seen Tori take on Mason Thornesmith, that annoying hambone kid, even Vice Principal Dickers, but she’d never seen Tori this helplessly exhausted. “Meet me at my locker at morning break and I’ll bring you another one.” She put her hands on Tori’s shoulders. “Hey, okay,” she said as she made eye contact. “Just like before going on stage,” Jade took in a deep breath. Tori caught on and followed the lead, exhaling with Jade did. They repeated it several times and the caffeine plus the oxygen managed to make Tori more alert.

“You’re kind of the best,” Tori said, with a small smile.

“Get out of here and go to class,” Jade said, patting Tori’s face and sending her on her way. If Tori ever wanted to get her song ready for Kojeezy, she was going to have to wake the chiz up and stay awake.

But whatever energy boost Tori had gotten from the breathing exercise and cold brew was clearly drained when, during the morning break, Jade found Tori sprawled out on the floor at the top of the steps that led up to the hallway landing.

Welp, she’d tried the caring and compassionate approach, now it was time for something a little more...Classic Jade. She dug out the whistle she kept on her keychain, bent down over Tori, and blew. The high-pitched sound jerked Tori awake and she rolled down the short flight of steps with a scream. Okay, maaaaybe Jade should have thought about the full extent of safety before she executed this plan, but Tori was quick to sit up and, to be honest, she’d pulled off a pretty excellent stunt, probably because she was still half-asleep.

“What happened?” Tori asked, still on the floor. “Was I sleeping?”

“You _were_ ,” Jade said, tucking her keys back into her bag.

“Did I hear a loud whistle?” Tori asked, rubbing at her ear.

“Nah, you probably just dreamed it. So why were you sleeping on the stairs?” But then Tori started in on the same story she’d told her in the car, probably because she didn’t remember already telling her about it.

“I wasn’t done talking!” cried Tori. She looked so disheveled and pathetic and, okay, really damn cute.

“I was done listening.” Jade wandered over to her locker, letting Tori pick herself up in a daze. She’d make it up to her with the coffee, just as soon as--a group of losers approached her.

“Hey, Jade,” one of them said. “If you had to pick between your elbow and your nose, I guess you’d--” Oh, no. This chiz-bag was not about to say, “-- _pick your nose_!” Everyone, literally, everyone in the halls started laughing. A few of them had their PearPads, which meant they’d _seen it_. They’d seen the stupid satellite picture.

Tori’s coffee was forgotten when Jade spotted Beck and Cat by the soda machines. She stormed over to them, shouting, “Hey! Who told?”

“Told what?” asked Cat.

“About me! About me,” Jade thrust her finger upward, next to her nose, “on PearMaps.”

“I told no one,” Beck said. And Jade believed it, because he was the most likely person to actually keep his mouth shut, in general.

And Cat said, “I told people not to look.”

Which only left one person. “Well, then it had to have been Robbie because--” Hold on. “What do you mean you told people not to look?”

“I tweeted it on The Slap.” Cat held up her phone.

“You--” No. Okay. No. Okay. Jade had really been working on not losing her chiz without justification. She needed more information. “What did you tweet?” she asked, through clenched teeth.

“Just ‘Please do not go on PearMaps and look up Hollywood Arts,’” Cat read from her phone screen. “‘If you do, _do not_ zoom in on Jade. P.S. She’s not picking her nose.’ I made it super clear.”

Jade lunged at Cat, but after years of dating Jade, Beck still apparently knew to anticipate this kind of reaction from her and he grabbed her in a bear hug grip, telling Cat to, “Just run! Run fast and far!”

Before Jade could even scream about it, Sinjin was behind her, offering some kind of nose-picking support. That did it. Jade roared at Cat, who took off down the hall. Beck still had a strong grip on her, telling her to settle, which should have pissed her off even more, but she was also dealing with her stupid period and remembering that she was supposed to be taking care of Tori (who had disappeared by this point, Jade was pretty sure) and really, she just couldn’t handle any of it. Beck let her fall to the floor and sat with her until she calmed down.

-

Tori had missed the entire hallway meltdown, but gossip was already buzzing about it almost as soon as it had happened. She was at the Jet Brew cart in the Asphalt Cafe when she heard Pepper Morgan say something about, “Jade West, totally losing her chiz over that whole nose-picking thing.”

Oh no. Even in Tori’s exhausted state, she knew Jade wouldn’t handle this well. At least her brief nap on the stairs seemed to have given her a little more energy, though she was pretty sure her butt was bruised from rolling down said stairs. Figuring there was probably only one place Jade would be after an incident like the one she’d just heard described, Tori ordered two coffees (one with two sugars, one light and sweet since they didn’t have the cold brew at school) and headed straight for the janitor’s closet.

She poked her head in first, and confirmed her suspicion: there was Jade, sitting off in the corner, the rhythmic sound of scissors slicing through the air. “Hey,” Tori greeted cautiously. This was still Jade, and maybe not even Tori would be welcome right now.

“Hey,” Jade replied, her voice sounding dull, lifeless.

But she wasn’t being told to leave, so Tori stepped in and closed the door. She observed Jade for a moment, looking at what she was demolishing with her scissors. It looked oddly familiar. “Is...is that a Bag ‘O Rags?” she asked, remembering the day Cat had been handing them out.

“It _was_ ,” Jade said savagely, “Now it’s an ex-bag of rag scraps.”

“I see,” Tori replied, then held out the black coffee, “I brought you this.”

Jade eyed it, then dropped the rag she was destroying and reached for the drink. “Thanks,” she said, her voice returning to its unemotional, listless tone. Tori sat down next to her, taking a sip of her own coffee, trying to consider how to bring up what she’d been hearing all over school, but Jade spoke first. “You seem more awake.”

Tori shrugged, “I guess the nap helped a little. Hopefully the coffee will, too.” She wanted to reach for Jade’s hand, but between her scissors and coffee, both hands were occupied, so Tori let her free hand rest lightly on Jade’s knee. Jade didn’t move. “So I guess the PearMaps picture of you--”

“Don’t say it!” Jade cut in forcefully.

“I wasn’t going to,” Tori continued patiently, “I was just going to say I guess it got out.”

“Yeah.” A sharp snick of the scissors as she snapped them through the air. “Because _Cat_ decided to tell people _not to look_.”

“Ah.” Well, that tracked. Cat was terrible at keeping secrets. “I’m sorry,” Tori offered.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jade grumbled. “I’ll just stay in here until I die or until people forget, whichever comes first.”

“I thought I’d hear you say you were going to kill Cat before I heard that.”

Jade sighed, “Oh, I’ve _thought_ about it. But it wouldn’t fix anything. The picture of me _scratching my nose_ is immortalized out there. I’ll never find work. I’ll be blacklisted before I even start.”

That was so dark that it was almost funny, but Tori didn’t let it show. Actually, it was a little worrying. Jade was rarely this downtrodden; she got angry. “I can tell this is really upsetting you,” she said, trying to word it carefully.

“It’s not--I just--” Jade sighed, “It’s just _a lot_. Robbie losing his mind, the Flour Bomber being such a letdown, our moms meeting and it being the most embarrassing night of my life, my stupid period, and now _this_. I just can’t catch a break this week.”

Tori could sympathize with that. There were plenty of times that, in retrospect, she’d realized a lot of her big reactions were the result of PMS. Or cramps. Instead, she tried to offer Jade some hope, “Maybe this picture won’t last forever. What if someone can take it down?”

Jade stirred, seeming interested, and actually looked at Tori for the first time since she’d come in. “Okay. That’s...okay. I’m listening.”

Tori faltered for a moment, because she really didn’t have any other advice. The idea had just occurred to her. But she thought fast. “Maybe Robbie knows how.” No, Robbie was still a mess from missing Rex. “Or Sinjin!”

“Eww, I’m not talking to Sinjin about this.”

“Well, I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Jade groaned, then said, “Fine. Talking to Sinjin is a good idea.” She paused. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Shouldn’t _you_?”

Jade was quiet for a moment, then slowly stood up, slipping her scissors back into her boot. Tori stood up, too, Jade reaching to steady her. She was already starting to droop a little from exhaustion; the coffee had better work.

Tori leaned in to give Jade a reassuring kiss. Jade kissed back gently, already looking a little more like herself as they pulled away. “Alright,” she said, “I’m going to go find Sinjin and threaten him until he finds a way to get rid of that picture.”

“There’s my girl,” Tori smiled, reaching to take Jade’s hand and leave the janitor’s closet with her.

They were both late to class, but as long as you showed up and participated, there was rarely any kind of punishment. At least, not formally. Tori was starting to wonder if she’d crossed some kind of karmic boundary because after her long morning of trying to stay awake, she ended up in a fight with a twelve-year old girl in the parking lot. She’d called Tori “chicken hips” and then started slap-fighting with her. And Tori didn’t even know this child, she just knew it was the girl who’d been terrorizing Sikowitz by throwing eggs at him.

She found Andre and Trina (which was totally weird, because since when did they hang out?) at their group’s regular lunch table. “I was just in a fight with a twelve year-old.”

“No,” said Trina, “you just _lost_ a fight with a twelve year-old.”

Tori knew Andre had been trying to get through to Mason about selling Rex back to Robbie, but as of the moment, he’d had no luck. And then, Trina, in a rare moment of lucidity, suggested that there was a better way to get a twelve year-old boy’s attention away from a puppet.

“Get him something he’ll like better,” said Trina.

But what? “Like?” Tori asked.

“Doughnuts,” Andre replied.

Trina rose from the table. “I have no time for this.”

Tori, though, thought maybe she knew what her sister meant. She glanced back at Sikowitz and the mean girl and the girl’s mother, who were all still arguing. “I know something an obnoxious twelve year-old boy might want,” she said to Andre.

He nodded. “Cupcakes.”

“Dude, what’s with you and the baked goods?” Tori asked.

Andre shrugged. “Just that kind of day.”

It took surprisingly little convincing to get Jade to drive them to Neutronium Records again. She’d evidently already gotten Sinjin on board with her plan, and he was going to work on finding out how to remove the horrible picture of her. It seemed that focusing on Robbie’s situation rather than her own was actually a relief for her. Even if it did involve taking the rudest, most foul twelve-year-old on the planet with them.

But Tori’s plan worked smoothly: Frances grew bored of Rex immediately after the horrible little girl gave him a little peck on the cheek. “I don’t need a stupid puppet!” he declared, “I got me a woman.” And he wandered away with the grunchy little creature.

Robbie was reunited with Rex, who...was angry at him? “You were with another puppet,” Rex stated, refusing to look at Robbie.

“Yeah, but it was only for one night!” Robbie defended, “It didn’t mean anything!”

As Robbie and Rex’s conversation got more disturbing (Tori was seriously starting to wonder if she’d done the right thing), Tori said, “Bye,” awkwardly and decided to leave them to it.

She went back out to where Jade was waiting in the car, “Where’s Robbie?” she asked.

“I...had to give him and Rex a minute,” Tori replied, shuddering slightly, “Rex was angry that he was ‘with another puppet.’”

“Yikes,” commented Jade, “Well, while you guys were in there, I saw Katy Perry heading inside.”

“What? Shut up. You did not. She’s here right now?” During Tori’s short time working under Neutronium, she had seen Katy Perry at work in the recording studio, but she hadn’t been allowed to meet her. She supposed that should’ve been a clue about how little she actually mattered to the company: they gave her bread crumbs, and not much else.

“She sure is,” Jade drawled, “Maybe I should’ve asked for an autograph for my girlfriend, who has a huge crush on her.”

Tori blushed, “I do not!”

Jade snorted, “She’s all over your locker.”

“I like her music!”

“Her music doesn’t have much to do with the scantily clad pictures you like to look at between classes.”

That was a good point. It certainly hadn’t been the reason Tori had put those pictures in her locker, but now that Jade mentioned it...well. Maybe she had been revealing more about herself than she realized when she decorated her locker. “Okay, so what if I think she’s attractive? I’d rather kiss you.”

That made Jade’s smirk soften a little bit. Tori was about to make good on her declaration when she noticed Robbie and Rex hurrying toward the car. They slid into the backseat, Rex greeted Jade, and then she started driving out of the parking garage.

“So, did we kiss and make up?” Jade asked Robbie.

“Eww! Gross,” Robbie responded.

“He should be so lucky,” Rex replied cockily.

Tori’s phone buzzed as Robbie continued to scoff about how normal his relationship with Rex was. It was her mom, wondering where she was, because there was a sale at the mall and she wanted to take Tori shopping.

“Oh, my mom wants to take me shopping,” she told Jade.

“Okay, so am I taking you home?” Jade asked.

“I don’t know, let me find out.”

Jade sighed irritably. “You have thirty seconds.” They were almost out of the parking garage. Tori quickly arranged to meet her mom at the mall, and let Jade know where to drop her off.

Now that Robbie was back to being his normal self again, he brought up the PearMaps thing. Tori could tell Jade was tempted to just shove him out of the car, but when Tori told him Sinjin was working to remove the image, it turned out Robbie had something helpful to say, “Hey, my dad knows a guy who works with the PearMaps satellite system, maybe he can help us out with that.”

But even with that offer, when Jade pulled into the mall parking lot, she was definitely starting to be in a mood. She told Robbie he would not be permitted to move to the front seat after Tori got out, and was snarling about the situation as she pulled up to let Tori out. “Yeah, sure, I’ll just be everybody’s chauffeur today. Where am I taking you, Robbie? Rex, I swear if you say Northridge…”

Tori leaned over to give her a quick kiss, ignoring the way Robbie sputtered slightly, and with a promise to text her later, Tori got out and hurried into the mall to meet her mom.

She had already gotten her parents to agree to let her keep a small part of the money from Neutronium for her own use. Some of that she’d already spent on a little online shopping. And she was pretty sure that an offer from her mom to go shopping meant she wouldn’t have to spend her own money on the trip, but at least if she did, Tori felt like she had enough to work with. She was grateful to Jade for convincing her to confront Mason about her payment. Not being broke was a weight off her shoulders.

When she and her mom returned home from the mall, Tori’s energy was definitely flagging from her lack of sleep, and because lunch had been a very long time ago.

“I am so hungry,” she complained as they walked to the front door.

“Well then, someone’s about to be a very happy girl,” Holly replied cheerfully.

Tori gasped, “Is it me? What’s happening?”

“Guess what I put in the oven before we went shopping?”

“Family pot pie?” Tori asked, desperately hopeful.

“Family pot pie!” her mom confirmed excitedly.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Tori cheered. It was absolutely her favorite thing her mom made, and she was just telling her this as they walked inside, when they realized--

There was Andre, sitting at the table, eating the _entire_ family pot pie, and greeting them with an excited, “Hey!”

Tori was too shocked to do much more than stare as Andre explained to Holly just how thoroughly he had violated their dinner.

“Do I smell family pot pie?” Trina came bustling excitedly down the stairs.

“Yes,” Tori finally found her voice.

“Andre ate it,” reported their clearly frustrated mom.

“What?” Trina screamed.

They all stared at Andre in despondence and horror as he finally comprehended that he had eaten everyone’s dinner. “I thought everybody got their own,” he said. At least he sounded regretful, but that certainly wasn’t good enough.

“My mom makes one big pot pie and we all share it!” Tori explained through her rage.

“That’s why it’s called _family_ pot pie,” Trina said dangerously.

“Well, it’s gone,” Andre said.

Trina screamed and chased him away from the empty dish. Just as Tori was wondering aloud what they were supposed to have for dinner, Andre rushed over to the piano with an “I’ve got it!”, clearly hit with inspiration. He played a melody excitedly, then his face dropped. “I don’t got it.”

Tori exchanged a miserable glance with her clearly furious mother, and turned to find Trina defiantly licking the pot pie dish. That was about as much as Tori could handle. She stormed upstairs, updated The Slap about her misery, and texted Jade.

**I might actually kill Andre**

**He ate our family pot pie**

**...your what?!**

**My mom makes this delicious pot pie and we all share it**

**But Andre ate the whole thing**

**And now I’m so tired and so hungry and idk**

**I might cry**

**Listen, I like Andre and all**

**But if he needs to die, he needs to die**

**Just say the word**

**I’m probably just being dramatic**

**Also I miss you**

**I guess I’d better go eat something**

**I miss you, too**

**Also get some sleep**

**Tomorrow’s a big day for you**

**I know**

**I love you**

**I love you too**

-

Jade thought that would probably be the end of Tori’s issues with Andre. It had certainly been a weird week, but Kojeezy was coming to school tomorrow, so Andre’s song preparation in Tori’s living room should end by then. Besides, she had her own issues to worry about. Robbie and Sinjin were supposed to be helping her with her PearMaps problem, and she’d already texted them that they’d better have it fixed by tomorrow. And she would still have to find a way to get revenge on Cat. Yeah, she’d told Tori it wouldn’t help anything, but it might make her feel better, and that was helpful.

So when Jade woke up in the morning and discovered while finishing her first cup of coffee that she’d gotten a text from Tori at about three in the morning, she was a little surprised.

**I kicked Andre out**

**He was keeping me up playing the piano all night**

**And he insulted family pot pie**

**You can kill him now**

Jade decided she’d put it on her agenda for the day.

**Whoa. Good morning**

**Did you even sleep at all?**

**Yeah**

**I’ll see you in a bit**

**Running behind**

Jade finished getting ready and headed to Tori’s, curious to hear the whole story.

Tori got into the car wearing jeans, a red tank top and...something.

“What is that?” Jade asked. It was black, and sheer, and kind of lacy, somewhere between a half-shirt and a vest.

“What?” Tori asked. Jade gestured to the weirdness. “This? I don’t know. I thought it looked nice.”

Jade shook her head. Somehow Tori was making it work. But, “Are you sure you’re not wearing lingerie over your clothes?” Tori shot her a murderous glare, and Jade regretted her comment. Tori was already in a fight with Andre, and Jade didn’t need to be added to her chiz list. “It looks good on you,” Jade followed up quickly.

It was enough to placate Tori, who leaned back in her seat and sighed. “Thanks,” she said, though she didn’t sound thrilled.

It turned out there wasn’t much more to the story of how she kicked out Andre than what Jade already got through text. But she let Tori recount it, anyway.

“Did you even get any sleep?” Jade asked as they pulled into the Jet Brew line.

“Yeah,” Tori replied, “I slept okay. Probably because I fell asleep at like nine after I finally had dinner. I didn’t even get any homework done.”

“Are you ready to play your song today?”

Tori perked up a little at this. “Yeah, I think so. I wish I’d had a chance to polish something newer, but with Andre hogging the piano and this week being crazy, it didn’t happen, but I have something good I wrote last year.”

Jade thought about things she’d written the year before. She hated most of them now. “Good.”

“Any news about PearMaps?” Tori asked.

“Not yet,” Jade replied, “But if Sinjin and Robbie want to keep their kidneys, they’ll come up with something.” It was a more specifically violent threat than usual, but this was serious. She needed to make her point.

“Eww,” Tori replied.

Once they got to school, Jade’s day started to look up for the first time all week. Sinjin was doing something nerdy on the computer, Cat was slowly working her way through a giant bowl of bush peas, Beck was...there, and Robbie was on the phone with his dad’s friend who worked with the PearMaps satellites. She was still on edge, but it seemed like there was progress, so instead of feeling defeated about it like she had the day before, she was feeling aggressive. It was a vast improvement in her mood.

Sinjin kept muttering nerd-speak, which was annoying, and Cat complained that she hated bush peas. Well, too bad, because Jade hated that Cat had even put her in this mess.

Robbie came in with news: if they could get the picture down--which Sinjin assured her was almost done--the satellite would take a new one the next afternoon. Perfect. Jade could handle that. She would dress hot and pose and no one would ever remember the fateful nose-scratching picture.

“The picture is down,” Sinjin announced, to Jade’s relief. “You can pay me in cash, pizza, or hugs,” he told her.

“Robbie, hug him,” Jade commanded.

“I most certainly will not,” Robbie replied primly.

“Hug him!” Jade shouted.

He did. Her day really was looking up.

All she had to do was ensure tomorrow went perfectly.

When she was next at her locker, Tori hurried up to her. “You don’t have to kill Andre,” she said quickly.

Jade shut her locker, disappointed, “He’s lucky I had other things to deal with today.” She regarded Tori, who looked excited, “Why, what’s happening?”

“We have to collaborate on a song that we...sort of accidentally wrote together.” Okay, that was weird, but not weird enough for Jade to ask. “So he and I will be working on that tonight, because _Kojeezy might buy our song_!”

Well, that was exciting. Jade thought she might have smiled for the first time all week, because Tori’s joy was infectious. And, maybe she might’ve pulled Tori into the janitor’s closet to celebrate properly, if only for a minute.

She was even okay with Tori being busy all evening, even if Fridays were usually their movie nights, because it was technically a school night anyway--it was Saturday acting workshop the next day (thankfully at noon, so they could sleep in after a long week), along with the second tier of song tryouts for Kojeezy. Jade had the evening free to plan exactly what she would wear the next day.

Maybe the weekend would actually be good.

It was certainly looking up when Tori walked down her driveway to Jade’s car looking extremely sexy in a dress she hadn’t seen before. The Hot for Teacher dress had been one thing, and had cropped up in a few of Jade’s idle fantasies this week, but this dress was different altogether. It had a kind of hippie vibe, with black embroidery against a pinkish-orange color. Even though it fell in the range of pink, Jade was making an exception to her color rules because it showed off a lot of thigh and, probably in a personal attack on Jade, Tori was wearing an incredible pair of black knee-high boots. Seriously, the way her girlfriend could go from the biggest nerd in her at-home glasses and Los Angeles t-shirts to...what she was looking at, right now, blew her mind.

“Dressing up nice for Mr. Kojeezy?” Jade asked.

Tori flashed a smile as she smoothed her skirt. “I want to make an impression.” Jade’s eyes roamed, still fixated on the expanse of skin between the bottom of her skirt and the tops of her boots. “Are...you okay?” Tori asked.

“You don’t have plans later, do you?” Jade asked. “Like, after we’re done at school?”

“Not really.”

“Good.”

“By the way, I can tell I’m not the only one who dressed up for something.” Tori had flipped things on her and Jade could feel the pull of hungry eyes moving along her body, which was expected because Jade had dressed especially hot today. Her red and black dress was topped with a sleeveless red leather vest. And, of course, black fishnets. Her makeup was impeccable (though she knew she’d need a touch up almost immediately, because...kissing) and her hair was on point.

Yes, it was for the satellite photo, but she’d also made an effort to cater to Tori’s tastes with plenty of exposed arm and ample cleavage. “I, too, want to make an impression.”

“I guess I’ll be looking at PearMaps a lot, then,” Tori smirked.

At every stoplight, it was a habit for them to hold hands or for Jade to reach over to trail her fingers over Tori’s knee, but today she especially found herself drawn to wanting to touch her, just because it wasn’t terribly common for Tori to wear skirts, especially one quite as short as this one. In line at the Jet Brew, she was doing exactly that, stroking the exposed skin of Tori’s thigh while Tori sent a text to Andre about some final details regarding their song. When her fingertips hit the bottom of Tori’s skirt, she playfully flicked at it, but then realized something.

“Are you wearing _shorts_ under this?”

Tori glanced down. “Yeah. Like, just little ones. But I didn’t want to accidentally flash Kojeezy.”

This was the most Tori thing for Tori to do. Here she was, sexy as hell in those boots and this outfit and she was wearing shorts under her dress to preserve her modesty. Jade shook her head and smiled to herself. Her girlfriend was certainly a special kind of enigma. A nerdy kind.

With coffee secured, they headed to their acting workshop, then split off to their respective activities for the afternoon.

-

Tori was _so_ ready to perform for Kojeezy. She thought she and Andre had done a really good job on the song, and she was grateful that it had helped their friendship start to get back on track. And, after having to put on a wig and pretend to be out of her mind like Andre’s grandma in order to help Andre write music, she was really, really hopeful that her efforts were going to pay off.

Not that running around her house like a maniac had been that bad. Tori always enjoyed a wig and an opportunity to perform outrageously. She was just happy that she hadn’t managed to wake up her entire family doing so and that it had actually worked. Andre was always skeptical of any of her plans that involved wigs.

And at first, it seemed like it was going really well. She and Andre sounded great together, Kojeezy was digging it, and he even told them he was going to buy their song.

Except...it turned out there was a final test. A final, absurd, soul-crushing test.

And she and Andre failed “The Baby Test.” Because the baby cried. As if babies didn’t cry about _everything_. Where did he even get this baby? How often did he have to replace the baby? Just what was going on at Neutronium Records!?

It was so frustrating and disheartening that Tori felt it all crash down around her. This whole situation had stressed her out all week and nearly ruined her friendship with Andre, and all for nothing. She started crying in the music room as Kojeezy and his psychic baby left.

“Come here,” Andre held out his arms to her.

Tori let him hug her, and the only relief she had was the knowledge that at least they were friends again. “I hate that baby,” she sobbed.

“Babies are stupid,” Andre agreed, “They don’t know.” He hugged her until she felt better.

When Tori finally calmed down, they went to meet up with their friends. Judging by the time, Tori guessed they would probably still be at the Asphalt Cafe, because only ten minutes or so had passed since the time the satellite was supposed to pass overhead.

But as they stepped outside, it was immediately apparent that something was wrong, because Tori heard screaming. _Jade_ screaming.

It was almost unintelligible, but as Tori hurried closer, she began to make out obscenities, threats, and general howls of rage and anguish. Andre was right behind her as they broke into a run for the final few steps.

Tori stopped short as the scene fully hit her. Jade was, in fact, in a full-on rage, maybe angrier than Tori had ever seen her before. She was chasing Robbie and Beck around tables, the two of them doing their best to keep a table between them and her at all times, with Robbie hiding behind Beck, and Beck standing with his arms outstretched. Even ever-chill Beck looked pretty concerned as he tried to shield Robbie. Sinjin had his computer under his arm and was slinking away slowly, as if afraid any sudden movements would alert Jade to his presence. Cat was huddling at a table, hugging her big, round stuffed pig and watching what was happening with wide eyes.

Tori didn’t know what to do. She had no idea how to help her girlfriend in this state. Andre began to slowly back away, but she grabbed his sleeve and made him stand with her.

“I will _kill_ you, I am going to _pop your head off_ with my _bare hands_ and _stuff it down your neck_ and then _cut it out of your stomach with rusty scissors and feed it to ants_!” Jade was screaming in the direction of Robbie and Beck, leaning over a table, chest heaving. It looked like she was maybe starting to run out of steam, because she was circling the table slowly, still furiously lobbing threats at Robbie, but no longer running.

Tori approached cautiously. Jade’s eyes flashed as she whipped her head over her shoulder and saw Tori. Her face softened, but only marginally, in a way that Tori thought only she might be able to perceive. “What happened?” Tori asked cautiously.

“Robbie _ruined_ my picture!” Jade snarled, whipping her head back around to lunge at Robbie and Beck one more time, just to make them jump. Robbie grabbed onto Beck around the waist, and Beck tightened his lips together and reached down to disengage Robbie’s arms from around his body.

“Oh, no,” Tori didn’t have the energy to say much more than that.

Jade seemed to notice, and turned, her eyes running over Tori’s body. “What’s wrong with you?” she snapped, though Tori was pretty sure it was more because she was still furious about her own situation.

“I just...we just...we failed The Baby Test.” And to her shame, Tori started crying all over again.

Jade had turned fully to face her now, staring in utter confusion through her blazing eyes and firm mouth. She looked to Andre, “What is she talking about?”

“Well, ah,” Andre cleared his throat, clearly not happy to be where Jade’s attention was focused, “Kojeezy liked our song, but he made us play it for this baby, and said if the baby cried, the song was chiz.” He shrugged helplessly, “The baby cried,” he finished unnecessarily.

Tori walked a few steps to sit down at the table where Cat was sitting and hugging her plush pig. She buried her face in her hands, willing herself to stop crying, but she was just so _frustrated_. Cat reached over to pat her shoulder. “Want to see the new picture of Jade? It might cheer you up.”

“ _Cat_!” screamed Jade in fury, but Cat was already sliding her PearPad at Tori.

It was...well, Tori could understand why Jade was mad. Instead of an image that made it look like Jade was picking her nose, it looked like Robbie was dipping her in a wild kiss. “Oh my god,” Tori stared. It worked; she stopped crying, mostly because she couldn’t stop looking at how awful this was.

Jade let out a horrible, frustrated scream and then sat heavily down next to Tori, letting her head fall into her arms, hiding her face on the table top. Tori rubbed her back soothingly while Jade groaned into the table. While Jade’s attention was off of the boys, Tori waved them away, signaling that this was their chance to leave with all their internal organs. Cat followed, her arms still wrapped around the pig, as she pondered, “I wonder how that baby knows so much about music.”

Tori groaned and dropped her head against Jade’s shoulder. “Why is this the worst week? I’ve been flour bombed, slapped by a mean little girl, and denied by a baby.”

“Yeah, well,” Jade mumbled into the table, “at least you’ll be able to forget about it, over time. My humiliation is forever immortalized on PearMaps.”

“Maybe you can get Sinjin to take it down again.”

“Why bother?” Jade finally pulled herself back up and let her hand fall under the table, resting on Tori’s leg. “I’ll probably end up somehow accidentally being naked in the next one.”

“Uh, I see no problem with that.”

“ _Tori_!” Jade playfully pinched the skin of her thigh.

Tori grabbed at her hand. “I’m just saying I’m sure you’d look great.”

“I’m sorry the baby had no taste.”

“Ugh, no, don’t remind me.”

“Maybe you should have just flashed Kojeezy.”

“ _Jade_!” But Jade made Tori feel better, even though the overall weight of being rejected hadn’t gone away. She at least had someone who believed in her.

“I’m starving,” declared Jade. “I think threatening Robbie for ten solid minutes really burned a lot of calories.”

They ended up at Nozu where, despite their picture still being on the wall, they were charged full price for everything. The thrill of success had been nice while it lasted, but Tori was glad to just be herself, even if it meant having to pay for dessert. It was still early evening when they left the restaurant and there were plenty of hours before Tori needed to be home.

“We could go to a movie,” Tori suggested.

Jade shrugged. “Yeah, but nothing really good is out. What about just hanging out at your house?”

“Trina’s definitely home because she plans to audition for some new dance competition show and she was rehearsing in the living room this morning.”

“Okay, but Trina can’t dance.”

“Try telling her that,” Tori said, shaking her head. “What about going to your house?”

Jade shook her head. “My brother’s over _and_ my mom is home.”

They ended up on their overlook, though it was crowded with other cars, parked to watch the sunset over the Los Angeles basin. Or, well, Tori didn’t know if that’s what everyone else was doing up there, but she and Jade were definitely not getting hot and heavy while the sun was still out and anyone could look right into the car windows.

So for now, they moved to the backseat, but just so they could be close together. Tori noticed that there was a big, fluffy pillow behind the passenger’s seat that hadn’t been there before. She wondered if maybe she should start explicitly checking for murderers in Jade’s backseat, too, if she could miss something like that.

Jade pushed the pillow toward Tori, reaching past her to prop it against the door. “I got tired of bruising my back on the door,” she explained, and then as Tori leaned back against it, Jade slid up next to her, resting her head against Tori’s shoulder and wrapping her arm around her. Tori held her close with both arms, keeping her from rolling off the seat.

They lay like that for a long time, just basking in the closeness of the other, as the light outside grew dimmer, the sky became swathed with color as clouds and smog alike caught the sunset. The glow of the city below gradually grew brighter than the gloaming evening sky, and they remained, content together, talking and comforting each other, as one by one, the other cars began to drive away.

“At least this awful week is over,” Tori sighed, still holding Jade against her chest. She kissed the top of her head, “Next week will be better,” she stated, trying to convince them both.

“Maybe,” Jade mumbled. She tightened her hold on Tori, nuzzling into her neck. “I better not have to spend next week explaining to everyone that I’m not kissing Robbie.”

Tori rubbed her back. “I think that will be easier to handle.”

Jade peeked up at her with one eye, “What do you mean?”

“I just mean, next week, we’ll just make sure to make out _a lot_ in the halls. Like, not so much that we get in trouble, but enough that no will even remember that it looks like Robbie is kissing you in that picture.”

There was a hint of a smile on Jade’s lips as she lifted her head. “Oh, yeah? What a selfless plan. I mean, there’s absolutely nothing you’ll get out of kissing me at school all day.”

“Absolutely nothing,” Tori repeated, tilting her head down to catch Jade’s lips with her own.

Tori felt Jade pushing closer to her, deepening the kiss. It felt like waking up after a long rest as desire stirred in her body. Snuggling in the backseat had been a necessary break from sensuality, as they both recovered from the exhaustion of their emotionally taxing afternoon. But now, Tori was feeling better. Jade had insulted the baby’s musical taste in many creative ways, and Tori had threatened Robbie for a while, just to make Jade smile. And just that seemed to do the trick, as they comforted each other, and it seemed they were both ready to put their lousy week behind them.

Tori let her hand slip past the faux-leather of Jade’s vest to touch her lower back, trailing her fingers above the belt she wore, trying to get a little closer to her skin. Jade lifted herself up more, hand at Tori’s jaw as they kissed. Tori let out a satisfied sound in her throat as their tongues met and Jade’s touch traveled from her jaw to the back of her neck, then upward as fingers threaded through Tori’s hair.

It wasn’t enough, they weren’t close enough, with the way Jade was urging her body up against Tori’s, and Tori had to crane her neck to meet Jade’s lips. Jade looked so good in her outfit for the day, her breasts were right where Tori couldn’t quite see them or touch them, and that wasn’t acceptable. She started shifting to move more onto her side, to get her hot girlfriend onto her back, so she could get on top of her.

But she misjudged the space, and Jade started toppling back off the backseat. Her arm shot out to grab the back of the seat in front of them, and Tori’s arms tightened to keep her from falling too far, but Jade was still hanging mostly off the seat, frozen in shock.

Tori couldn’t help it and she started laughing, “Come back,” she said, trying to coax Jade back up onto the seat, scooting down to give her more room. Jade glared and grumbled as she found her balance and slid back into the seat, and the two of them ended up sitting next to each other, Tori reaching for her and trying to stop giggling.

-

Jade let Tori laugh about it, knowing she would do the exact same thing. There had been so little to laugh about lately anyway, and maybe because of that, Tori’s laughter was particularly infectious. They laughed between kisses, sometimes interrupting them to get out their giggles, but even as they pressed their faces into each other's shoulders, trying to control themselves, their hands were wandering, doing the work that their mouths could not. Tori’s hand had slid under Jade’s vest, palming her breast through her dress, and Jade’s was running along the skin of Tori’s thigh, dipping just under the hem of her weird, sexy hippie dress.

Tori stopped laughing when she noticed the way Jade’s fingers were trailing over her skin, looking down at the hand and swallowing audibly. Jade trailed her hand back up, fingers now stroking over Tori’s shorts, up along her hip. “Is this okay?” Jade asked, kind of thrilled about the fact that she was getting up under Tori’s skirt, even if she wasn’t touching anything but more clothing.

Tori looked at her and nodded. “You can touch me over my shorts,” she confirmed.

Heat flooded Jade at her words, and the implications of them. She wondered if Tori knew what she had been thinking about since last weekend, the way she was longing to touch her.

They surged together, passion truly awoken now, laughter gone. Jade withdrew her hands only to shuck her vest off, not wanting to be constrained by it. Tori’s hands found her shoulders, ran over her arms as Jade held her chin with one hand, tilting Tori’s head to the side to press firm kisses down her neck, her other hand moving over Tori’s breast through the embroidered bodice of her dress. Seriously, where had she _found_ this? Jade liked that they were so different, that Tori could surprise her with weird fashion choices that looked great on her.

She listened to Tori whimper as Jade’s lips took their time on her neck, not quite doing anything that could leave a hickey, but threatening to. One of Tori’s hands held her waist, the other was on Jade’s thigh, running over her fishnets, fingers feeling hot against Jade’s exposed skin. She wasn’t venturing too high, but then, Jade didn’t really want her to. She was rather focused on the kinds of reactions she was getting out of Tori, and, with her period winding down, she wasn’t all that interested in contact there, anyway. It was just the way it was for her.

But Tori didn’t know that, because she asked shakily, “Are you...can I…” she moaned as Jade nibbled gently just above her collarbone.

Jade didn’t let her continue to try to ask her question, since she had a feeling she knew what it was going to be. “Don’t worry about me. You can touch my legs, just nothing...more than that.”

Tori frowned adorably, though her fingers traveled higher up Jade’s outer thigh at the invitation. “But then…”

It really was cute watching her struggle to find words. Jade ran her fingers over Tori’s breast and let her other hand drop to Tori’s thigh again, running her palm up and over her bare skin until she reached the shorts. “Doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel good,” Jade whispered before she leaned in to capture Tori’s lips with her own, swallowing the shuddering exhale of pleasure Tori emitted at Jade’s touch.

Jade took some time to see how much she could wind Tori up, kissing her fiercely as her hand moved over her breasts, letting her touch get a little rougher--nothing that would hurt, just punctuated with a little more eagerness, more want. She let her other hand move over Tori’s upper thigh, grasping the flesh there, then letting fingers tracing over her hip bone, listening for the way Tori inhaled as Jade touched her there. The hands on Jade’s own body became less focused, more grabby--though this was Tori, and it was still pretty gentle. But she was certainly communicating her desire through her body, and Jade knew they both wanted more.

Jade pulled back from the kiss. “I want to try something,” she told Tori, heart pounding in anticipation, “Tell me if it’s too much.”

Tori nodded, eyes wild and eager, and going wide as Jade pushed her to sit back against the seat and straddled one of her legs, one knee settling very close between Tori’s legs. She angled her breasts so they were right in Tori’s face, hearing her moan in anticipation at the sight of them, and placed one hand just above Tori’s shoulder, balancing on the seat.

The other hand slid right up under Tori’s skirt, fingers pressing delicately between her legs, through her shorts, Jade watching her face for affirmation.

Tori’s mouth opened as she exhaled at the contact. Jade still wasn’t moving her fingers, just placing them lightly _there_ , the back of her hand resting just above her knee. Tori blinked and took a deep breath and her eyes found Jade’s. She licked her lips and managed to say, “Touch me,” softly.

In answer, Jade leaned forward, letting her breasts press against Tori’s face as her fingers began to move gently, stroking through the fabric, trying to orient herself to by listening for a reaction from Tori. She searched in vain for several seconds, feeling Tori’s mouth kissing over the tops of her breasts, before Tori’s hand found hers, and guided her fingers to where they needed to be. She heard Tori gasp as her hand guided Jade’s to the right spot, and Jade felt dizzy with the impact of being under Tori’s skirt and touching her through her shorts.

She moved her fingers, keeping the pressure steady, swayed her hips forward and back a little, giving some motion to the thigh that steadied her wrist. She slid her hand behind Tori’s head, encouraging her to smother her face into Jade’s chest and listening for the muffled moans coming from her mouth.

But before long, Tori was lifting her head, guiding Jade’s head down to meet her in a kiss. Jade kissed her, trying to focus on the movements of her hand, but then Tori’s hands were moving, too, one on Jade’s breast, and the other sliding up the back of Jade’s thigh to plant itself right on her ass.

Tori froze the moment she realized where her hand ended up. She pulled back from the kiss, wide-eyed, “Sorry, is that--”

Jade knew it was technically outside of the bounds she’d established, but she also knew that she didn’t mind at all. She moved her hand from Tori’s head to cover the hand under her own skirt, encouraging it to keep touching, “Yes. But remember, I _am_ trying to do something here.” She moved the fingers between Tori’s legs for emphasis.

Tori groaned, letting her head fall back, “I know,” she gasped, “Trust me, I know. A little to the left,” she guided.

Jade moved her fingers as directed and reveled in the resulting moan as Tori’s eyes fluttered shut. She kissed along Tori’s neck, letting her kisses get rougher than before, feeling the way Tori’s hands were moving over Jade’s breast and still gripping under her dress, mindless, random caresses that were a little distracting. But Jade knew that Tori was enjoying it, so she did her best to tune out her touches, focusing on the fingers between Tori’s legs, and trying not to leave a hickey on her neck.

Until the hand that had been on Jade’s ass moved upward and buried itself in her hair, spurring her on, and Jade lost her focus and let herself suck too hard on Tori’s neck, grinning in triumph at the answering moan.

And speaking of moans, they were getting needier, more frequent. Jade soothed the spot on Tori’s neck with her tongue as she rubbed a little harder between her legs, feeling Tori’s hips start to rock forward, chasing the rhythm of Jade’s hand. Jade let her forehead rest on Tori's shoulder, knowing she had to focus now, and heard herself letting out little encouraging gasps of air in time with Tori’s breaths.

“Don’t stop,” urged Tori.

Jade almost laughed, because what sane person would ever?

She felt as Tori’s back started to lift away from the seat, and Jade slipped her arm around her, holding her even closer as her fingers kept moving, Tori’s breathy moans in her ear, her hands clawing at Jade’s back, her head tipping back.

Jade felt powerful, accomplished, and beautiful the moment she realized she was making Tori come, through her shorts. At least _something_ had gone right this week.

-

Tori was aware of little else than the fact that she was coming in Jade’s arms, shaking and jolting, bucking and arching rhythmically, with only Jade to hold her steady, Jade’s lithe arms and patient lips on her skin grounding her, keeping her from floating away entirely.

Tori realized she’d been moaning when she ran out of breath, and found herself holding onto Jade, chest heaving for air, still trembling from her orgasm. Jade was holding her, kissing her cheek, her jaw. “Come here,” Jade said softly, leaning over toward the pillow against the door, reclining and bringing Tori down with her.

“Oh my god,” Tori murmured as Jade held her to her chest, Tori with little sense to do anything but hold onto Jade, nuzzle close to her. She felt the swirl of complex emotion through her body as she slowly processed what had happened-- _Jade_ had made her come. And that was intense, and the weight of it was potent, and it made Tori feel beautiful and special and utterly loved, especially as Jade let her recover in her arms, pressing kisses to the top of her head.

A low chuckle rumbled through Jade. “Guess that worked.”

“Mmmhmm,” was all Tori could muster, still just giving herself over to the endorphins flowing through her body.

“And, I _miiight_ have left a little mark on your neck.”

“Don’t care,” Tori sighed. They stayed like that for a while longer, Jade trailing patterns over Tori’s back, Tori nestled against Jade’s chest. Finally, Tori turned to face upward, pulling Jade’s arms to wrap around her. “That was amazing.”

“Yeah,” Jade said. “It’s really making me wish we could figure out our sleepover plans.”

“You’re still not sure when you’re mom’s gone, next?”

“Maybe in a couple weeks?”

“Well, then,” Tori lifted one of Jade’s hands to her mouth and began kissing her fingers. “I guess we’ll have a sleepover in a couple weeks,” she said, considering just what that could mean. If they were doing what they’d _just done_ here in Jade’s car, what might they end up doing in Jade’s bed? The thought alone made her blush.

“Everything okay?” Jade asked. “You’re kinda quiet.”

“Just thinking.”

“About sleeping over?”

“Yeah.”

“Me, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Tell Her You Love Her_ by Echosmith.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episodes:
> 
> Robbie Sells Rex (4.08) The Bad Roommate (4.09)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> And speaking of unchill Vegas, Trina came clomping down the stairs, and stopped at the bottom when she saw Jade. “ _She’s_ coming with us?” Trina asked in horror.
> 
> Jade turned to Tori, “ _She’s_ coming with us?” she echoed, even though she’d already picked up on that.
> 
> Trina huffed at this, and Tori’s parents told them to make sure they were ready to go in five minutes. Jade asked if there was any coffee and refilled her travel mug. She had a feeling she was going to need it to get through the family trip to Grandma’s with this chaotic family. Everyone piled into the giant SUV Jade had ridden in that night after the music awards, but this time she rode in the very back with Tori, since Trina immediately claimed one of the middle captain’s chairs. 
> 
> “Thanks for coming with me,” Tori said, covering Jade’s hand with hers on the seat.
> 
> “This is your mom’s mom, right?” asked Jade.
> 
> Tori nodded. “Yeah, Abuela, that’s what we called my dad’s mom, passed away a few years ago.”
> 
> “Well, then that makes my next question kind of awkward.” Jade actually considered just not saying anything, but then Tori was looking at her, expectantly.
> 
> “What?”
> 
> “No, it’s…nothing.”
> 
> “Jade, what?”
> 
> “I was just going to ask if she and your mom have the same dance moves,” Jade said, quickly.
> 
> Tori’s mouth scrunched up and she shoved Jade’s shoulder. “You’re the _worst_.” She held a glare for a few seconds, then shook her head and laughed.
> 
> “I actually tried to keep it to myself,” Jade insisted.
> 
> In front of them, Trina was attempting to take a series of selfies, so Jade made it her mission to photobomb all of them. “ _JADE_ , knock it off!” Trina shouted.
> 
> “I’m literally just sitting here,” Jade said, while Tori looped her fingertips over and across the star on her arm.


	9. You push me back, I'll push you back, harder, harder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that this is a hard M-rating.

It really was becoming a bit of a preoccupation, the idea of them being alone, together, overnight. Jade knew there was no guarantee of anything specific happening, but she was also aware of Tori’s curiosity and the way she responded whenever things became heated. They both seemed so open and ready to explore whatever was ahead.

She was still thinking about it when she got home, her head in a light fantasy about one of many possibilities as she pulled off her boots and undressed for bed. Her phone buzzed and she knew it would be Tori. At this point, they were texting every single night right up until they went to sleep.

**So**

**My mom just asked if you’d like to come with us tomorrow**

**To visit my grandma**

Jade knew, _she knew_ , there was no possible way the Vega parents could know anything about what she and Tori had been up to, but she couldn’t help immediately feeling like she’d been caught doing something.

**Does grandma even know about us?**

**Not yet**

**She just knows I’m dating someone**

**Do you want me to go?**

**I mean**

**I’d like to tell her**

**And it would be nice to have you there**

Jade wasn’t sure if she wanted to be caught in any potential awkward family drama. Normally, yeah, for sure, she’d love to see some intense soap-opera style arguments from total strangers or people she didn’t like, but at this point, she cared far too much about Tori to want to watch her get hurt. But then, it seemed like the Vegas all had a pretty good relationship, so maybe it would be a breeze. And, if it wasn’t, Tori could probably use the moral support.

**Okay**

**Yeah**

**I’ll go**

**I assume this means free lunch**

**It does**

😘

The next morning, Jade showered and dressed, trying to make sure her outfit was at least sort of grandma-friendly. She didn’t want to bend over backward, but she also didn’t want to put any extra pressure on Tori. Really, she just decided to keep her boobs in check with a sleeveless t-shirt so that Tori wasn’t staring at them all through lunch.

She made it to Tori’s house around quarter to noon, working through the rest of her morning coffee in a travel mug. Tori answered the door, dressed in jeans and one of those blazers that made her look like she was running for student council. She smelled like her shampoo when Jade hugged her, clearly freshly showered and ready for her day. Jade let her eyes roam over Tori’s neck.

“What are you looking at?” Tori asked.

“I’m looking for...you know. Something I left with you.” The hickey was nowhere to be found. Tori’s blazer had a bit of a collar, but Jade didn’t think it could be covering the whole thing.

“Oh, that,” Tori blushed, “ _So much_ concealer,” she whispered.

“Oh, good, Jade, you’re here,” David said from the kitchen. “How are you?”

“Fine,” Jade replied, “Thanks for inviting me along.”

Holly came down the stairs and Jade saw her exchange a glance with David. “Oh, good, Jade, you’re here,” she said, echoing her husband. Jade raised her eyebrow; no one’s parents were ever so happy to see her. This was suspicious. She exchanged a glance with Tori, who rolled her eyes, but didn’t seem worried.

“Yes,” David cleared his throat, “So while we’re waiting for Trina, we wanted to talk to you girls.”

 _Uh oh_. Jade looked at Tori again, who now looked concerned. Jade couldn’t help but feel like they’d somehow been caught doing...what they were doing last night, in her car. How did Tori’s parents always seem to know what was happening?

But then Holly said something even more disturbing, “Well, I was talking with your mom, Jade,” she began, and Jade already felt a sense of dread. Nope, nothing good could come of this. “And she mentioned that she goes out of town a lot for work.”

“Yeah,” Jade replied, throat feeling dry. She took a sip of coffee.

“Well, Tori knows, of course,” David cut in, “That she’s not allowed to stay over at a friend’s house without parental supervision.” Tori folded her arms, looking both defensive and defiant, and Jade already felt like all their plans to get each other alone were falling apart, “And of course, the rule applies to girlfriends, too.”

Tori sighed, “I know, Dad,” she said, sounding dejected.

“But,” Holly continued, “I also expressed my concern about you being alone so much, Jade,” she said.

“I don’t really mind,” Jade cut in. She didn’t like anyone worrying about her, doubly so for adults she wasn’t related to, even if she did like them.

Holly nodded, “Your mom says you’re very responsible, and you do a great job taking care of things when she’s gone. But, she worries about you, too.” Jade suppressed an eye roll at the mention of her mom. “So, we came up with a compromise.”

“Now, it’s not going to be all the time or anything,” David said, “But, Jade, if you want to stay over here on some of the nights that your mom is out of town, Holly and I, and your mom, are all okay with that.”

“Uh,” Jade felt sluggish, like she hadn’t had enough coffee, as Tori’s parents placed a sleepover opportunity in their laps. Maybe not the one they wanted, with total privacy and an empty house, but _regularly scheduled_ sleepovers...that was certainly something. “Thank you, I really appreciate that,” she said.

“Just remember the house rule,” Holly stated, almost forced casual.

“Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want someone walking in on,” David and Tori recited in unison.

Right. There was always some weird balancing act with the Vega parents. None of the Vegas were ever quite as chill as they appeared.

And speaking of unchill Vegas, Trina came clomping down the stairs, and stopped at the bottom when she saw Jade. “ _She’s_ coming with us?” Trina asked in horror.

Jade turned to Tori, “ _She’s_ coming with us?” she echoed, even though she’d already picked up on that.

Trina huffed at this, and Tori’s parents told them to make sure they were ready to go in five minutes. Jade asked if there was any coffee and refilled her travel mug. She had a feeling she was going to need it to get through the family trip to Grandma’s with this chaotic family. Everyone piled into the giant SUV Jade had ridden in that day after the music awards, but this time she rode in the very back with Tori, since Trina immediately claimed one of the middle captain’s chairs.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Tori said, covering Jade’s hand with hers on the seat.

“This is your mom’s mom, right?” asked Jade.

Tori nodded. “Yeah, Abuela, that’s what we called my dad’s mom, passed away a few years ago.”

“Well, then that makes my next question kind of awkward.” Jade actually considered just not saying anything, but then Tori was looking at her, expectantly.

“What?”

“No, it’s…nothing.”

“Jade, what?”

“I was just going to ask if she and your mom have the same dance moves,” Jade said, quickly.

Tori’s mouth scrunched up and she shoved Jade’s shoulder. “You’re the _worst_.” She held a glare for a few seconds, then shook her head and laughed.

“I actually tried to keep it to myself,” Jade insisted.

In front of them, Trina was attempting to take a series of selfies, so Jade made it her mission to photobomb all of them. “ _JADE_ , knock it off!” Trina shouted.

“I’m literally just sitting here,” Jade said, while Tori looped her fingertips over and across the star on her arm.

The entire ride through the hills into the San Fernando Valley didn’t take long, but Jade made it her mission to split the drive between torturing Trina and texting random memes with Tori. Finally, they pulled up to a cute house in a suburban neighborhood, kind of in the same area as Pet Mergency. Holly was the only one who exited the car and, moments later, a woman who looked a lot like an older version of Tori’s mom walked out of the house and took the front passenger seat while Holly climbed in next to Trina. She was wearing slacks and a cardigan, looking sort of stylish, but in a senior citizen kind of way. There was something blazer-like about the cut of the cardigan that kind of reminded Jade of Tori.

It was too hard to hear much back and forth in the large vehicle, but Jade could tell she was being introduced as “Tori’s friend, Jade.” She felt Tori’s grip on her hand tighten in a squeeze. With her other hand, she tapped out a message on her phone.

**Hey**

**What?**

**Love you**

Tori glanced up at her, a smile pulling at her lips, then she looked back down.

**Love you too**

Sensational Salad wasn’t that far from Tori’s grandma’s house and soon they were inside, loading plates at the biggest salad bar in Los Angeles county. Somehow, Jade ended up in the line next to Tori’s grandmother, which made her feel awkward because they hadn’t really been introduced and, also, she hated talking to people she didn’t know, in general.

“So, Jade, how do you know Tori?”

“Uh,” Jade looked down the line. Trina was on the other side of her and Tori was taking her sweet time loading her plate between Trina and her dad. “We met at school.” That seemed safe enough.

“Ah, then you go to Hollywood Arts,” said the older woman. “What’s your focus?”

“Film,” Jade replied. This was easy. She could talk about her movies, all day.

But then there wasn’t any follow up because everyone moved to settle at their table. Jade at least made sure she was seated next to Tori, both for the moral support she was there to provide but also because she sure as chiz wasn’t going to sit next to Trina.

“Oh,” David realized, “Jade, this is Grandma Jean.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jade replied, even though they’d kind of already met.

-

“Jade and I were just getting acquainted,” said Grandma Jean. Tori had seen them chatting in the salad bar line, though she hadn’t been able to hear what they’d talked about. “Tori,” she began, “how long have you two been dating?”

Tori dropped her fork. Not far, because she was just starting to pick it up. But this was not what she’d expected. “Um, well,” she glanced at Jade who just raised her eyebrows, clearly as surprised as she was. “A couple of months?” She carefully picked her fork back up. “How, uh, did you know?”

“Tori, dear, I’m sixty-six years old. I know what young love looks like when I see it.” Grandma Jean looked from Tori to Jade, then back to Tori. “And you two, are in it.”

Well, okay. Then her grandmother knew about them. That was easy. “Yeah,” Tori finally said, smiling at Jade, who was...blushing? Maybe? She kept looking down at her food, so it was hard to tell.

Trina rolled her eyes across the table. “Can we _please_ talk about something interesting?” Without waiting for any confirmation, she went into a long-winded recap of the dance show she was auditioning for and Tori actually welcomed the pull of attention away from herself and Jade. Part of her had feared this might be a recap of the dinner with Jade’s mother, but it was otherwise a regular trip to Sensational Salad with Grandma.

When Trina’s boring story finally ended, even her grandmother seemed eager to change the subject. “Jade, you mentioned you’re studying film in school?”

“Yep.”

“What kind?”

“Well, I’m studying all of it,” Jade replied, “because you kind of have to. But my preferred genre is horror.”

Grandma Jean nodded. “You know, back when I was...oh, let’s see, it was before Holly was born...I was probably just a little older than Trina and Tori...right around 1969...I was an extra in a Roger Corman film.”

It was Jade’s turn to drop her fork, only hers clattered loudly against her plate. “ _Shut up_. Really?” Tori didn’t think she’d ever seen Jade this excited talking to anyone outside of their age group. She watched as Jade did the mental math. “It wasn’t _Bloody Mama_ , was it?”

“That’s the one,” Grandma Jean replied.

For the remainder of lunch, the two chatted about old B-movies while Trina pouted over it. After they’d dropped Grandma Jean back off at home, Tori couldn’t stop grinning. Neither could Jade.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your cool film buff grandmother before this?” Jade asked.

“I didn’t know!” Tori exclaimed. “She’s never talked about it.”

“Tori, I think she knows more about movies than I do.”

Tori smiled to herself and sent a text.

**Great now you have a crush on my mom AND my grandma**

**Shut up**

**You’re the only one for me**

**But you’d better bone up on your vintage horror**

**Just to be safe**

It was too bad they were in the car with Tori’s entire family, because all she wanted to do in that moment was to kiss her. And okay, maybe start watching some classic horror movies.

Instead, she settled for grabbing her hand and holding it, discreetly bringing it up to her lips to kiss Jade’s knuckles, and watching as Jade tried not to smile about it. Between her family, who really were mostly not so bad, and her girlfriend, who was gorgeous and protective and creative and kind of the best, Tori felt pretty damn lucky.

The next morning, when Jade picked up Tori for school, she was already showing signs of nerves, with the way her fingers tapped on the steering wheel, for instance. Tori was getting better at reading her moods, and let her body do the talking for her, holding Jade’s hand at stoplights and in line at the drive through.

Tori realized what it was pretty quickly: semester project. Some weeks so much else was happening that Jade barely even thought about it, but the weeks when less was going on, she tended to obsess. And there were so few weeks left in the school year that it was kind of getting down to the wire for Jade.

“Think you’ll get picked today?” Tori finally asked her directly.

Jade gave her hand a squeeze before they moved up a car’s length closer to the Jet Brew window. “Probably,” she said, “I’m ready.” But Tori knew even being ready for something didn’t always suppress nerves. In fact, this made her think of the fact that she thought she might be ready to do more with Jade, physical things that might happen if Jade slept over, and the flutter in her belly was mostly excitement, but some nerves, too.

Tori realized that Jade was looking at her and she blushed, wondering if she’d missed something. “Sorry, what was that?” she asked.

Jade was smirking openly now, “I didn’t say anything. Where were you just now?”

“Nothing, nowhere,” Tori said quickly. But there was no point in lying, really. “So, uh, when is your mom going out of town next?”

Jade had to turn back to drive them up to the window, but as they waited for the barista to hand them their drinks, she said, “Sometime next week, I think. Why? Thinking about getting me in your bed?”

“Maybe,” Tori replied coyly. Jade shot her a heated glance, and smirked all the way to school.

At least it seemed to distract Jade from her anxiety for the rest of the drive. But by the time they were heading for Sikowitz’s classroom, Jade was in her seat, holding Tori’s hand and leaning forward with anticipation.

-

And it turned out, Jade’s anxiety was warranted, because it was finally her week to do a semester project.

Jade sat back as Andre drew her name from Sikowitz’s box and read it aloud. Finally. But also, chiz, it was time. As Sikowitz made a production of hiding his hand behind his back, Jade quickly said, “The left one!” _Stage_. And as soon as Cat hurried up and pulled the final card from the cup, Jade knew she’d been given the genre of drama. Great, okay, she was doing a dramatic stage play about a haunted asylum. Perfect. She had a full outline already, she’d just need to flesh it out into a script and then cast it. Tori was already the person she had in mind for the Ghost Woman, not because she was her girlfriend, but because she matched what Jade wanted for the narrative. And, okay, she’d look really good doing it.

Jade was pretty focused on her project for the rest of the day, though she did let herself get distracted by Driveway Time after school. But she had her evening free to work her script and really make it something she thought was going to be good. The Ghost Woman, who haunts the asylum. Dramatically. It was all about the angst of the afterlife, and the unending torment of eternity.

She and Tori texted sporadically that night, though Tori seemed to anticipate that Jade would be quite busy and was giving her the time to work. However, as they got closer to bedtime and Jade read through her script a final time to make sure she was satisfied, she sent Tori a text.

**Be in my play**

**Okay?**

**Good**

So that settled it. Tori would be playing the Ghost Woman.

The next day in class, she handed in her script to Sikowitz and passed out copies to Tori, Beck and Andre. Tori seemed a little surprised to realize she’d been given the lead, but Jade didn’t have much time to worry about that, because she had to find Sinjin and Burf and talk to them about the set she needed for her show.

Tori ended up getting a ride home with Trina because Jade had to stay late planning with her tech team about the set. It kind of sucked to miss Driveway Time and that Jade was too busy to even text much, but she knew they’d be working together closely for the next several nights, so Jade wasn’t too worried about it. Time seemed to be whizzing by, anyway, and Jade was always moving on to the next thing. Semester projects were a rush.

They texted that night a little about the script, because Tori was reading it to prepare for rehearsal the next afternoon.

**Wow, this is some heavy stuff**

**It’s not that heavy**

**It’s just an existential crisis**

**If you say so**

**I’m excited to work on it, though!**

**Good**

**Also remind me not to eat the spaghetti from the Grub Truck**

**It always gives me a stomach ache**

**Then why do you buy it??**

**It tastes so good!**

**You’re so weird**

-

Tori was kind of thrilled that Jade gave her lead, though she worried more than usual about doing well, because the stakes seemed higher somehow when the director was your girlfriend. But Tori did her best to prepare and learned her lines the previous evening so that she’d be off-book for rehearsal

But even with her preparation, rehearsal did not go well.

“No, stop,” Jade waved her hands at them. Tori slumped. This was the third time she’d stopped them and made them start the scene over, and it was getting frustrating. They were learning the blocking, but so far, that hadn’t been what Jade had been stopping them over. “Tori, I need something more from you. You’re a ghost, remember?”

“Okay,” Tori sighed, “I’m _trying_ , I just need to know what you want.”

“You’re a _ghost_ haunting the asylum, it shouldn’t be that hard,” Jade snapped back. She turned to the guys, “Okay, Andre, from your line. Beck, watch the blocking, remember you need to be in front of him before he starts his next line.”

Beck and Andre nodded, and Andre shot Tori a concerned look. Tori threw up her hands and moved back into position to restart the scene.

Jade let it run through that time, pausing them a couple of times to rework blocking, but eventually, the scene played out. Still, Jade didn’t look happy. “Tori, what you’re doing isn’t working. Try something else.”

Tori felt her face growing hot from frustration. “Okay, I’d _like_ to try something else, but I don’t know what you _want_ ,” she told Jade forcefully.

“I want you to _try acting_ ,” Jade replied snidely.

“Okay, you know what?” Tori had been pushed too far, “Maybe you need to try _directing_.”

From her peripheral vision, she could see Andre taking a few steps back. Jade turned to her, eyes steely, “Okay, _Tori_ , here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to finish the blocking for this show, and you can do whatever the hell you want with your lines. And then _I’ll_ come to your house and work with you one on one because clearly, you’re struggling.” She spun around and stormed back to her chair. “Okay, from the top!” she shouted.

They finished blocking the show, and the sun was setting by the time Tori got into Jade’s car. The drive to her house was tense with only the radio filling the silence. Tori couldn’t remember the last time she _wasn’t_ looking forward to spending time with Jade. She really didn’t like feeling this way, so when Jade parked the car, Tori said, “Look, I’m trying the best I can--”

“Yeah, well, it’s not working.”

“And how is it supposed to work if you don’t tell me anything other than that I’m a ghost, as if that’s supposed to be some kind of miracle direction.” Tori picked up her bag and yanked open the door before storming up to the house, Jade following because they had no choice but to take this all inside.

“Beck and Andre haven’t had any problems,” Jade said as Tori shoved open the front door.

“Maybe that’s because you’ve given them more to work with beyond, ‘You’re a ghost, figure it out.’” Tori registered that both her parents were in the kitchen, but all of her energy was in this argument as she and Jade continued upstairs.

“Oh, so it’s _my_ fault that you can’t do that?” Jade asked, pointedly.

Tori dropped her bag next to her desk, then walked to her bedside table to plug in her PearPhone, before realizing her phone was still in her bag. “It is if you’re not actually telling me what’s happening with my character.”

Jade rolled her eyes, arms crossed over her chest. “That’s kind of the point of the _entire script_ that I wrote.”

Tori marched back to where she’d set down her bag and dug around in it. “I’m saying all the lines _the way you wrote them_.”

“That might be how you’re reading them,” Jade scoffed, “but it’s not how I wrote them.”

“Jade, did you ever think that maybe you--” Tori couldn’t seem to find her stupid phone. “Wait, I brought my phone up here, right?” She glanced around to the side of the room she’d just been on.

Jade was there now, leaning against her dresser. “I don’t know. You were over there, then came over here.” She walked to the side of the bed where Tori kept her phone charger and looked on top of the table, then under it. “Did you, like, put it--” She pulled open the small drawer on the nightstand.

Tori realized where she was investigating and quickly said, “No, don’t look in--”

But Jade was already poking around and picking up something up, “Tori, why do you have weird lipstick in here…” In her hand was a lipstick tube that looked almost normal, but was slightly larger than the regular cosmetic. Jade pulled off the top. “Um, Tori. What is this?”

“Nothing.”

Jade found the small button on the bottom and pressed it. The lipstick began to vibrate. “Tori Vega. Is this your _vibrator_?” she asked conspiratorially, eyebrow climbing high.

“Turn it off!” Tori lunged across the bed grabbing for it, which only made Jade fumble the device to the floor where it buzzed until Jade snatched it back up and turned it off, only to have Tori grab it from her and quickly toss it back into the drawer. She froze and listened for any voices down the hall.

Jade seemed to pick upon her concern and moved toward the door, shutting it, then leaning against it. She eyed Tori from across the room then, after a moment, her shoulders began to shake with laughter. “Why do you have that? Better yet, how’d you even get it?”

“I think the why is pretty obvious,” Tori said, crawling off the bed. “And I ordered it online.” It had been one of the things she’d bought after getting paid by Neutronium.

“Have you _used_ it?”

Tori shushed her and traveled the few steps between the bed and the door, keeping her voice low. “I’m scared Trina will hear it.”

“It _is_ kinda loud,” Jade was still holding back laughter.

“I _know_ ,” Tori hissed back. She was still listening for any approaching footsteps.

Jade stepped away from the door slightly, laughing as quietly as she was able. Tori stepped forward to lean her head against Jade’s shoulder, hiding her face as she, too, giggled. It wasn’t really _that_ embarrassing that Jade had found her vibrator, but it was a little, mostly because she still wasn’t quite sure that her family hadn’t heard everything. So she leaned against Jade as the two of them shook with silent giggles.

Tori lifted her head slightly to find Jade looking down at her, and it was natural for their lips to connect in a kiss that was soft for the first moment as their laughter finally faded, and then grew fiercer as their fight all the way from the car and up the stairs seemed to come back to them both. Tori put her hands on Jade’s shoulders and pushed her back a step, hearing the soft thud of her back meeting the door. It was louder than Tori intended, but not alarmingly so, and it made Jade moan against her mouth, especially when Tori followed her momentum and pressed herself up against Jade, letting her thigh settle just between her legs without fully making contact. Tori drew her head back just enough to separate their mouths, watching as Jade leaned forward again to catch her lips. But Tori kept her distance, making Jade chase her until Jade grew impatient and her hand grabbed Tori’s hair and pulled her in for a kiss.

Tori whimpered against Jade’s mouth, feeling the raw need of their kisses, and her hand slipped down Jade’s body to grab her ass, loving the way it made Jade’s fingers press harder into her lower back, feeling even the hint of nails through her shirt. Mere moments later, however, Jade mirrored her action with both of her hands, and Tori felt trembly as she felt them slide over her flesh, but it quickly became apparent that Jade’s motive was to try to bring Tori closer. Tori maintained her distance between their lower bodies, enjoying that just the suggestion of more was enough to make Jade fight her for it.

The kiss was getting more heated, with nowhere else to go beyond the push and pull of their bodies, but it was interrupted by a loud blast of music from Trina’s room, reminding them both that they were in the Vega house, where privacy was a scarce resource.

-

Tori reluctantly pulled away, letting Jade chase her mouth for a few more hard kisses before Jade sagged against the door weakly. Tori stepped back, smoothing a hand over her hair and reaching for Jade’s hand. Jade followed her over to sit on Tori’s bed.

“Can we talk, like, without fighting?” Tori asked.

Jade gave a slight nod. “Yeah, I--”

But Tori cut her off. “--I need you to realize that all I’m trying to do is what you want. It’s your project, your play, your script.”

“I know,” it escaped as a sigh from Jade. She was used to doing her projects her way, usually because she was in them or because Cat would literally just do whatever Jade said. “I think I just assumed you’d know because…” Because what? Just because they loved each other? Even Jade knew that was dumb.

Tori picked up her script. “So, what is it you want?”

“She’s lonely. It’s been thirty-seven years.”

“It has?”

“Tori, it says it right in the monologue,” Jade took the stapled papers from her and flipped to the second page. “Right h--” Wait. She had written that part, hadn’t she? “Uh, okay.” This was maybe a problem with pre-writing her idea. She’d been sitting with it for so long, _she_ knew all the details, but maybe she’d forgotten to flesh a few things out in the final script. “I...made a mistake.”

“So, let’s fix it,” Tori said, grabbing a pen and jotting down a note in the margin. “What else?”

Jade filled Tori in on the handful of details she’s assumed Tori had read in the text and, by nine-thirty, when they kissed goodnight, she felt like they had a pretty decent handle on the Ghost Woman.

Rehearsal the next day went far better. For the most part, everyone remembered their blocking, and Tori’s new understanding of the way Jade had shaped the character of the Ghost Woman made the dialogue run smooth and sound the way Jade had imagined it in her head (even though Tori ate the Grub Truck spaghetti _again_ and had a stomach ache, she still managed to do better than she had all week). Still, a part of her was kicking herself a little for working ahead, because she realized that half-working on several different versions of her haunted asylum project was exactly the reason that her conception of the Ghost Woman’s loneliness hadn’t fully made it into the text of the script. Oh, well. It was all coming together now, they had a smooth dress rehearsal with only minor notes for her cast by the end of Thursday evening, a set that was almost complete, and Jade felt that by the next night, when their show was going up, that it would be a good one.

-

When Jade picked her up for school on Friday morning, she had immediate news. “I had such a chizzed up dream last night,” Jade said, before Tori had even fully settled into the passenger’s seat.

“What? Tell me.” For all the times she’d shared her weird dreams with Jade, she could only remember hearing about one of Jade’s dreams, the one where she’d apparently tried to get guys to ask her out, and Jade had trouble letting go of the emotions on that one. Now, her energy was chaotic, which didn’t tell Tori much. She did notice that Jade ran her tongue over her top teeth.

“Where to start?” Jade wondered aloud, “There was some game show that you got on, and you could pick a team, but you wouldn’t pick me, so I forced my way onto the show, but it was awful. They dropped things on our heads--Sinjin got an entire _toilet_ dropped on his head.”

“Oh my god, did it kill him?” Tori interrupted.

“ _No_ , somehow, which should have clued me in that it was a nightmare. I lost a tooth,” she ran her tongue over her teeth again, “Beck lost his clothes...I think your sister got tarred and feathered.”

“ _What_?”

“I told you, it was awful. And then _you_ couldn’t even grab the ten thousand dollar cash prize even though it was _right there_ so _none of us won any money_!” Jade finished in a burst of anger.

“I’m...sorry?” Tori tried.

Jade groaned, “I hate that dream.”

“Well, you have all your teeth,” Tori offered, uncertainly.

Jade smiled at her a little, and took her hand at the next stoplight. Tori figured it was nerves. Jade’s semester project show was happening this evening, and Tori knew she was nervous, but in a good way. She was pretty sure it was going to go very well.

But as if they didn’t have enough on their plates, they were assigned a project in their filmmaking class that morning. Their group, which included Tori, Jade, Cat, Andre, Robbie and Beck, decided that they would start working on it the next morning at school, when Sikowitz’s classroom would be free. They already had a script that they’d all worked on earlier in the semester, and Tori offered to make the main prop for the film--the “stab-olin,” a violin with a hidden knife attached to it. She could do it after the performance that evening, and she always enjoyed a chance to get out tools and work on something practical.

The rest of the day disappeared in a blur as Tori’s mind kept drifting to the performance that evening. Jade seemed to be seeking validation as the day went on, holding her hand and nuzzling up against her, seeking contact and kisses in the hall at school more than normal. Tori was happy to give that to her. Though it seemed that nothing had really come out of Jade’s picture on PearMaps, Tori still remembered her promise to make out with Jade at school a lot this week. They just hadn’t had a chance to do it until today, and even then, the mood of it was certainly different than how Tori predicted. Kissing Jade seemed to ground her, soothe her, and Tori knew it certainly made her feel more relaxed as the day went on and their performance neared.

After finally getting some direction from Jade on Wednesday evening, the whole thing had clicked for Tori. It had been a little confusing when Tori had suggested the play was heavy and Jade had disagreed with her over text, and had set Tori up to wait for direction from Jade for how she should play the role. The problem was, Jade hadn’t given her anything concrete. But once they’d talked, Tori felt better. In retrospect, she realized neither of them had handled the miscommunication well, but then, that had directly led to that intense, sexy makeout against Tori’s bedroom door.

Though Tori didn’t like _fighting_ with Jade, something about that encounter had been intensely satisfying.

And as for the performance itself, Tori was really proud of how it turned out. And when she took her bow between Beck and Andre, she could see from Jade’s smile that she was proud, too. It felt really good that they’d been able to work through the stress of the week to make something they both found validating.

After the show, Jade seemed inclined to ignore anyone in the audience trying to congratulate her, looking only to Sikowitz for his opinion. He kept uncharacteristically quiet, though, telling Jade he’d give her his full report on Monday. Tori could tell she was a little disappointed not to get any feedback, but Sikowitz did like to keep his students on their toes.

Tori noticed a familiar face lingering behind them, “Oh, hi, Ms. West.”

“Please, honey, call me Tiffany,” Jade’s mom told her. Even though she knew Jade called Tori’s mother by her first name, it was still weird for Tori.

Jade was already rolling her eyes, “I told you not to talk to anyone, Mom.”

“I only talked to Beck and Tori because they talked to me first,” Tiffany replied with a frown.

Jade sighed, but didn’t say anything. Tori felt like she had to keep the conversation going. “What did you think?” she asked Jade’s mom.

Jade groaned at this, but Tiffany pressed on, “Oh, I loved it. Too few people consider the perspective of the spirits that linger among us.” Jade pinched the bridge of her nose and side-eyed Tori, who didn’t quite know what to say in response. But Tiffany continued, “I’d love to take you girls out to dinner. Maybe Palatial Pastas?”

Tori groaned. She loved Palatial Pastas. Clearly, Jade did, too, because she perked up. “I wish I could,” Tori said regretfully, “But I have to get working on the prop for our short film project.”

“Oh, well,” Tiffany said, “That’s too bad. Jade, would you still like to go?”

“I don’t know,” Jade said, clearly weighing the delicious food with spending time with her mother.

“Oh, come on. Let me celebrate you for once,” Tiffany insisted.

Jade rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, “Just give me a minute. I have to give Tori some notes on her performance.”

“ _Sure_ ,” Tiffany drawled knowingly.

They disappeared backstage to the dressing room, where Jade proceeded to prove her mother right by kissing Tori to within an inch of her sanity. By the time they pulled apart, Tori could barely string words together. God, she needed that sleepover with Jade.

“I’ll see you later,” Jade smirked.

“Enjoy Palatial Pastas,” Tori managed.

Tori caught a ride home with Andre, and at least talking to him helped her start planning how to make the stab-olin. After Andre dropped her off and she went upstairs to wash the rest of the stage makeup off her face, she got a text from Jade.

**So my mom is going out of town next weekend**

**For a long weekend. Thurs-Mon**

**Omg**

**I’ll ask my parents if you can stay over on Saturday**

**Are we sure this isn’t a trick?**

**Like I’ll come over and then your dad will decide to repaint your bathroom**

**Take off all the doors**

**And we’ll never be alone**

Tori had considered something along similar lines. It did seem particularly generous of all the parents to allow them to have overnights together. But it felt in-line with the Vega parenting strategy. If they were home with everyone else, not much could happen. Tori certainly wasn’t planning on getting naked with Jade while her sister was one room away. Not that they’d even _talked_ about that.

**I think it’s genuine**

**We can’t do that much anyway**

**Which I guess is the point**

**We might be able to still come up with a few things**

**Like?**

Tori had an idea of what Jade was suggesting, but she also wanted to see what she’d say about it.

**Like...whatever we do at the overlook**

**We can probably get away with in your room**

It wasn’t even anything explicit, but Tori felt her stomach flip seeing the text on the screen that tied directly to her most recent memory of Jade’s backseat. If Jade wanted to touch her that way while they were actually _in her bed_ , Tori wasn’t about to argue. Though she might want a heavier chair to put in front of the door.

**I think you’re right**

**As long as we’re quiet**

**Planning on making a lot of noise?**

😏

Tori blushed at the implication.

**I just meant in general**

**Pretty sure you didn’t**

**So?**

**So…**

**Go work on the stab-olin**

**If we keep talking like this**

**Nothing’s getting done**

Jade was right. Though, it made Tori curious about what could possibly happen over text.

**Too bad you’ll miss me with my power tools**

**I’m at dinner with my mom**

**Stop with the sexting**

Okay. she really needed to start working on the stab-olin. Tori headed down to the garage to look for the tools she needed. She kind of liked working with tools, actually. There was a reason she got the highest grade in the school on the theater tech exam. It was something she and her dad bonded over when she was a little younger. He’d wanted to teach both his daughters some basic car maintenance, so before Holly traded in her old car for something newer and nicer, he’d taken them both to the garage to show them how to change a tire and even the process of changing the oil. Trina had refused to participate and wandered back upstairs before he’d even begun, but Tori had been interested. Since then, she’d helped her dad with projects now and then, to the point that she felt comfortable finding the tools she needed at his workbench and taking them upstairs to get started on the stab-olin.

She was hard at work, trying to drill a precise hole in the top of the old violin that Trina had once tried to learn to play, when her sister snuck up behind her and scared her, just to get a photo of her terrified face.

Trina cackled in hysterics, “Oh my god, you look _so funny_ in this pic.”

“Let me see it,” said Tori, trying to look at it over Trina’s shoulder.

“If you want to see it, you can go to theslap.com later and look at my page.”

“You are not putting that pic on The Slap!”

“Oh yeah, I am. I have an album on my Slap page called ‘My Icky Little Sister.’”

God, sometimes Trina truly was The Worst. “That is so--” But Tori stopped herself, not wanting to burn up her energy on Trina. “Oh, who cares? Because what do you have, like, thirty-four followers?” She blew a raspberry at her sister and turned to get back to work on her stab-olin.

But Trina laughed. “Uh, I happen to have nine-hundred and seventy-seven followers. So,” Trina spat back her own raspberry, “to you!” She pulled up her profile screen on the laptop that sat on the kitchen table.

Tori couldn’t believe her eyes. “You have nine-hundred and seventy-seven followers?” She couldn’t think of a single person beyond Sinjin, and maybe Burf, who would follow Trina. Honestly, the fact that she’d even had the thirty-four followers was a mystery. “How do you have so many?”

Trina went on to sing her own praises about being smart and pretty, then asked Tori, “How many followers do you have?”

Up until this moment, Tori thought she was doing pretty well with, “Three-hundred and fourteen.” But with the way Trina laughed and the indisputable evidence that she’d bested Tori with three times as many really made Tori wonder what she’d done wrong.

“I’m so much more popular than you!” Trina exclaimed.

That couldn’t be true. Tori had, you know, friends. Actual people who came over to the house. And she had a _girlfriend_. A hot one. With really great b--, “You know, I don’t have time for this, because I have to go make a deadly violin for my short film.”

“What short film?”

“It’s called ‘Socks and Violins.’” Which had seemed like a really clever title when they’d come up with it, but it felt flat as she said it to Trina.

“You know what you should call it? ‘Three-hundred and Fourteen Followers and Sad.’”

Tori was glad when Trina disappeared back upstairs. She picked up her power drill to get back to work, but it was hard to focus. How did Trina manage to get so many people to follow her? Why did it matter? Tori knew it was just numbers, that it was just stupid social media. Again, she had _friends_. But also, if Trina was annoying and no one liked her, how could she possibly have amassed so many followers.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Jade.

**Everything okay over there?**

**Yeah**

**Kind of**

**Why?**

Jade sent an image, a screencap of the picture of Tori that Trina had apparently already posted.

**Looks like those power tools got away from you**

**Wait do YOU follow Trina??**

**EW**

**NO**

**You’re tagged so it showed up for me**

**Since I follow you**

**And for some inexplicable reason I like to look at your face sometimes**

Okay, even though Jade tried to deflect a little, that definitely gave Tori a case of the warm fuzzies.

-

Later that night, after dinner with her mom (which was fine, she supposed), since she had no plans with Tori, Jade decided it was finally time to catalog her movie collection with the FilmTrackr app. Boring, yes. But then she could review everything and make recommendation lists so people would know what’s good. She also felt compelled to impress Grandma Jean the next time they talked.

The app used the camera on her phone to scan the barcodes on the DVD and Blu-ray cases, so things were moving along fairly quickly, until she kept getting notifications of being tagged on The Slap.

**@ToriVega has tagged you in a photo**

**@ToriVega has tagged you in a photo**

**@ToriVega has tagged you in a photo**

**@ToriVega has tagged you in a photo**

What was happening?

**Why are you blowing up my notifications?**

Tori didn’t answer right away, so Jade clicked over to The Slap to see that there were several updates to Tori’s profile, including pictures from _The Narcoleptic Astronaut_ and going back as far as Tori’s first performance at the Hollywood Arts Big Showcase. She scrolled through the pictures and also found a repost of the one from their date at Nozu.

**Throwback to my first official date with @JadeWest!**

**#girlfriend #datenight #shescute #nozu**

What a cornball. Jade muted the notifications for The Slap and went back to work. A couple of minutes later, though, she was interrupted by Tori’s reply to her text.

**Just updating**

**Sorry if it was annoying**

**I muted so it’s fine**

**How’s the stab-olin coming along?**

**Uh**

**Getting there**

**Better be**

**Pick you up at 7 tomorrow?**

**Yep** 😘

Except that Tori wasn’t ready at seven the next morning. She at least had the decency to text Jade that she was running behind and that she’d get a ride with her dad. Well, that sucked. But Jade took call times seriously (though she thought Tori did, too) so she was happier being on time by herself than both of them being late.

Jade was sorting through wardrobe pieces, Beck was loading the camera, and Andre was setting up lighting. Robbie was already in costume, with Cat putting on his makeup, ready to shoot their first set of shots, of him playing his stab-olin. Now all they needed was the stab-olin itself. Which Tori had. And Tori was late.

It irritated Jade, actually. It wasn’t like Tori to be inconsiderate about something like this. She supposed she must have a good reason.

Tori burst into the classroom carrying a plastic bin. “I’m here! Sorry I’m late. Did we start filming yet?”

“No,” Beck replied impatiently, “Robbie can’t play a psychopath violin player without the special prop.”

“Yeah, where’s the stab-olin?” Andre asked.

And as Tori hemmed and hawed about the stab-olin, Jade realized right away that she had also come unprepared. She walked over just as Tori was explaining, “All I have to do is connect the blade to the violin neck-part-thingy, and--”

“You didn’t finish the main prop for our movie?!” Jade was pissed. She’d had to mute Tori last night because of all the activity on The Slap, and she hadn’t even done the one thing she had to do for this project? The thing she’d skipped dinner with Jade to accomplish?

There was a chorus of disappointment from their friends, and Tori burst out with, “It’s not my fault!”

“Then whose fault is it?” Jade shouted back.

“Mine!” Tori yelled, though her shoulders slumped, dejected, after she said it.

“You had all last night, what happened?” Andre asked, already playing the caring best friend to Tori’s complete lack of chill.

“Trina happened,” Tori replied, her voice grim, “She waved her followers right in my _face_!” She waved in front of her own face for emphasis.

“What followers?” Robbie asked.

“On The Slap,” Tori explained, “She has way more followers than I do, and she bragged about it. She shamed me,” she finished.

So it turned out that Tori had been on The Slap all night posting things--and tagging Jade in them--to try to get more followers than her sister. This was ridiculous. Jade had just put together an entire stage play in a week because she had put the work in, and Tori hadn’t been able to do this one thing that they all needed for their project because of some stupid Vega sister rivalry thing. And, though it was early, Jade had wanted to pick Tori up with enough time to maybe kiss a little bit in the Jet Brew parking lot before call time, and Tori had ruined everything.

Jade was extremely frustrated, and that pushed her to her next tactic for dealing with an unreasonable Tori Vega. “Relax,” she said calmly, “Look at it this way--most people think Trina is an awful, gross person, right?”

“Well...yeah,” Tori agreed reluctantly.

“Okay, and way more people follow her on The Slap than follow you.” Jade continued to sound reasonable as she spoke.

“Yeah,” Tori nodded, sounding ashamed about it, but there was a bit of hopefulness in her eyes, like she thought Jade might be about to make her feel better.

Jade wasn’t. “Wow. That says a lot.” She turned so she wouldn’t have to watch Tori’s face fall, and went back to sorting through costumes.

She heard Beck talking about how it shouldn’t matter how many followers someone else has, which was such a Beck thing to say that she rolled her eyes. But she snapped to attention when she heard Tori’s response: “Trina has over _a thousand_!”

Even Beck couldn’t stay stoic over this one. “What?!” he asked sharply.

Nope. This couldn’t be real. “Okay, there is no way Trina Vega has more followers than--” Jade hurried to the PearBook on the table to look, “oh my god, she has more followers than I do.”

That was unacceptable. She could almost forgive Tori for spending the evening wasting her time instead of making the stab-olin, because _fuck. this._ This was _Trina Vega_ they were talking about, and Jade would not be shown up by such an untalented loser.

“Where are you going?” Andre asked as she opened the door to the classroom.

“To get more followers!” Jade shouted as she left.

-

Tori watched as Jade left to get more followers (where and how, Tori didn’t know), then Beck. And then Robbie and Cat. That left just Tori and Andre in the classroom together and they couldn’t do much without everyone else present.

“I guess I’m gonna go grab something to eat,” Andre said. “You wanna come with me?”

Tori shook her head. “I think I might try to find Jade.”

“You’re a much braver man than I am,” he said as she headed out the door.

Tori’s first stop was the janitor’s closet. She didn’t know how Jade would gain followers in there, but it seemed like as good a place as any to start. It was empty, so she climbed up the ladder to the library. There, on the couch in the lounge area was Jade, hunched over her PearPhone.

“I can hear you back there,” Jade said as Tori lowered the trap door to the ladder below.

Tori stepped over to where Jade sat. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out why your suck-fish sister has over a thousand followers. Her posts are boring, the pictures are all of _her_...there’s nothing here that’s interesting.” Jade tossed the phone onto the low table in front of her.

Tori lowered herself onto the couch next to Jade. “I don’t even know why I care about what Trina has.”

“Because she’s annoying and if she’s popular, that means we’re...well, I don’t like what it means.” Jade shifted, turning to sit facing Tori with one leg folded up in front of her on the cushion. “Or...it means she did something really freaky weird to get that many people.”

Tori frowned. “Like what?”

“I...don’t want to think about it.”

“Hey,” Tori poked at Jade’s knee. “I’ll forgive you for being a gank to me if you’ll forgive me for not getting the stab-olin finished.”

“Hmm,” Jade squinted, considering the offer. “I don’t know. I got up early hoping we’d have some time alone at Jet Brew.”

“We’re alone now.” Tori surveyed the space around them, listening for anyone who might be serving detention in the space below. “I think.”

In answer, Jade leaned in abruptly for a kiss. Tori stopped her with a hand to her chest. Jade looked confused and a little shocked.

“I’ll forgive you if you forgive me?” Tori prompted expectantly.

“Yes, Tori, now shut up,” Jade said quickly, pushing in to kiss her. This time, Tori let her.

It was so much different than the last time they’d kissed on this sofa, which was also the first time they’d kissed, ever. There was a moment in which Tori marveled at this, at how far they’d come and how much had changed, remembering the soft sweetness of their first kiss and how even the memory of it still made her chest ache sometimes. It was in stark contrast to now, when their kisses heated up the moment their lips touched, and the aching in Tori was no less acute, but focused elsewhere, a burning desire that settled lower in her guts. One hand rested on Jade’s knee, fingers running over the texture of her tights, the other on Jade’s side, trying to pull her closer. She felt Jade’s hand on her jaw, slipping further back to let her fingertips thread through Tori’s hair as they kissed hurriedly, mouths pressing wildly, urging each other on, the small sounds in Jade’s throat like music for Tori that echoed through her own body.

It was natural for Tori to lean back, trying to bring Jade down with her, to at least pull her a little closer. They were alone, the couch was comfortable, familiar territory, but the hand on Tori’s jaw came down quickly to grab the collar of Tori’s shirt, pulling her back up and disconnecting their lips. “We can’t do this here,” Jade's voice was almost a growl.

Tori nodded reluctantly. As safe as it felt, in the library on a Saturday when almost no one was around, it would be embarrassing if someone walked in. But where was there to go? “The overlook is going to be full of tourists on a Saturday,” Tori pointed out.

Jade nodded thoughtfully, and sighed, “My mom and my brother are both home.”

Tori made a face, “My mom is definitely home. She’s doing a lot of baking today.”

“Okay,” Jade said slowly, “Where else can we go?”

There was something Tori remembered Andre talking about recently. “I might know a place.” She stood and offered Jade a hand to pull her up before leading her down the ramp toward the library exit. They stopped off in Sikowitz’s classroom so Jade could grab her bag and to also make sure everyone was still out trying to gain followers, then headed for Jade’s car.

“Where are we going?”

“Make a left,” Tori said, pointing west down Sunset Blvd. When they hit the first intersection, Tori told Jade to turn left again, then to make a right into the parking structure at the movie theater complex.

“Tori, we could have walked over here.”

“Trust me.”

Jade pulled into the complex and took a ticket from the machine before driving under the raised arm of the automatic gate. “Now what?”

“Go up, almost to the top.” Finally, they were parked in a far corner of the garage on a level with very few cars. Even on a weekend, it wouldn’t be until the evening crowd began to arrive that the lot would really be bustling. Jade put the car in park, then killed the engine. She eyed Tori with a look that suggested she wanted to know just _how_ Tori knew about this spot. “Andre said he brings girls up here, sometimes. Because he can’t really hang at home with his grandma.”

“Ew, we’re in Andre’s Love Den?”

“Well, he’s not here _now_. And he says security doesn’t bother doing much during the day, because they have cameras at all the major entry points.” Tori unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned forward to look out the window at the view from their level of the parking garage. It was actually pretty decent. Not that she’d brought Jade here for sightseeing.

They climbed in the backseat, kissing a bit, but the heat from the library had died down and they ultimately found themselves settling in a cozy position with Tori sitting back on the pillow against the door and Jade settled in front of her, back to Tori’s chest as they cuddled and watched SplashFace videos on Jade’s phone. A notification popped up and she swiped it away, then began to search for something else. As she navigated her PearPhone screen, Tori noticed something when she tapped through the contacts list.

“Wait, what picture is that of me?” Tori asked, grabbing the phone, tapping to expand the image and looking more closely. It was a selfie of her with her tongue out. Had she sent that on the way to Wanko’s?

“You can’t just _take_ that,” Jade said, reaching for her phone.

Tori, in an effort to distract her girlfriend, kissed her while trying to keep the phone away from Jade’s grabby hand. Except, while they were kissing, Jade just snatched it with her _other_ hand, then kissed Tori’s nose and turned her attention back to her phone. Tori’s hand fell into Jade’s lap, playing with the loose fabric of her skirt. Jade had one leg propped up with the knee bent, so the skirt was bunched up enough that there was plenty of inner thigh, covered in the black tights, for Tori to drag her fingers over. She kept stroking them up and down, left and right, across the expanse, keeping an eye out the back window to make sure no one was heading their way. But this level of the garage was fairly empty and there was no one walking around up there.

“If you’re trying to get under my skirt, stop teasing and just do it,” Jade said.

Tori’s hand stopped, then continued, moving further along Jade’s thigh. She could feel Jade shift against her, bracing for a more intimate touch, but Tori’s hand bypassed the space directly between her legs and began dragging fingertips across her other thigh. Jade put her phone down and tipped her head back, her hands gripping the legs on either side of her. “Tori,” she said quietly, warning in her voice.

In answer, Tori used her other hand to brush Jade’s hair to the side, making her tip her head a little more to display the pale slope of her elegant neck. As Tori began to place kisses under Jade’s ear, she let her hand trail from Jade’s hair to slip around her body, grabbing her breast through the thin bodice of her dress, enjoying both the velvety texture of the long-sleeved garment and the softness of Jade’s flesh beneath it, pliant beneath her hand. The hand beneath Jade’s skirt continued its gentle movements, touching nothing more exciting than inner thigh.

Jade squirmed in her arms with a small gasp as Tori continued pressing kisses to her neck, hands moving deliberately but tenderly over her body, still not touching between her legs. Tori couldn’t really express what she was waiting for, because she knew she wanted to touch Jade, and that had been part of the point of coming up here to be alone. She lifted her head just enough to check out the back window, ensuring they were definitely alone, before sucking gently at a spot on Jade’s neck. She felt Jade’s fingers tighten on Tori’s legs.

“ _Tori_ ,” Jade said again, but this time it was a desperate moan that made Tori feel warm and flush with need, a sound she wanted to hear over and over again. But she also knew that it was exactly what she had been waiting for: a sign from Jade that she really needed Tori’s touch, that she was willing to ask for it, as indirectly as this has been.

So Tori pressed a reassuring kiss onto Jade’s jaw and finally let her fingers follow the slope of her inner thigh to its apex, putting light pressure on the area over Jade’s tights. There was a shuddering breath from Jade at this, her head tipping back against Tori’s shoulder. Tori took advantage of this new posture to trail her mouth over even more exposed pale neck, nibbling gently just above Jade’s collarbone. Jade’s fingers were digging into her thighs through her jeans, at least until one hand joined Tori’s between her legs, helping Tori orient her touch, and Tori heard a rush of breath from Jade’s lips that signified she’d been guided to exactly where she needed to be.

Tori lifted her head enough to check that they were still alone as she swirled her fingers over Jade’s tights. Jade’s arm was now circled around her thigh, truly bracing herself, her hips lifting slightly with Tori’s hand, leveraged by her foot on the seat. Tori’s other hand continued its motions over her breast, increasing the pressure of her fingers, trying to locate Jade’s nipple through her thin top and her bra. She moved her head down to resume kissing along Jade’s neck, but her head turned, catching Tori’s lips with her own in a searing kiss, and Tori tasted the echo of the eager sounds from Jade’s throat.

It was taking all of Tori’s concentration to continue the movements of both her hands and to keep her watch through the window of the car, and it was especially difficult when her mind kept threatening to get lost in Jade’s kisses. So she broke away from her girlfriend’s lips to return to kissing her neck, finding that sensitive spot just behind and below her ear that made Jade’s back arch when she sucked on it. Jade’s breaths were pants, her fingers scrabbling over Tori’s denim-clad legs, her body pushing back against Tori’s as her hips chased her hand. She had to slap over Tori’s hand with her own to reorient her, a desperate moment, but then resumed her position, splayed beneath Tori’s hands.

Tori became aware of two things simultaneously: Jade’s moans were reaching the level of a desperate whine, and Tori’s fingers between her legs detected a new sensation, not just of heat but of slight dampness, and Tori felt dizzy with the implication, letting her head fall forward onto Jade’s shoulder and crystalizing her focus onto the hand moving over her tights.

It didn’t take long before Jade’s body jerked back against her, her hands and arms gripping Tori’s legs and her foot jerked forward on the seat with the force of her body’s spasm, and Jade’s hips were undulating against Tori’s hand, her face was upraised, her mouth open and letting out guttural sounds, and Tori locked her arms closely around her as her hands continued their movements, until Jade sagged back against her, one hand covering and patting at Tori’s hand on her breast.

Tori lifted her other hand out from under Jade’s skirt and wrapped it around her stomach, holding her tightly with both arms as Jade shuddered and sighed and recovered. Her heart was pounding with the victory of getting Jade off, with the elation of watching her come undone, the way she’d held onto Tori, with no other choice but to accept the pleasure Tori wanted to give her. There was a powerful satisfaction in Tori’s chest, but also, watching and feeling Jade come undone in her arms was intensely arousing.

Still, Tori focused on Jade, kissing her cheek and her jaw as she held her. Jade met her lips in a kiss that Tori expected to be soft, but wasn’t, and she squeaked in surprise at its enthusiasm, as Jade reached up to slide her hand into Tori’s hair at the back of her head.

It was almost too fast to make sense of as Jade turned around in her lap, Tori’s arms loosening around her at the motion. Jade wedged one leg between Tori’s leg and the back of the seat, the other knee between Tori’s legs, and in a moment, she grabbed Tori’s hips and pulled her closer, leaning over her, her breasts right in Tori’s face as her thigh ground down between Tori’s legs.

Tori let out an unsuppressed moan, one hand already moving automatically to touch one of the breasts in front of her, and felt an intense heat flooding through her, already knowing, this wouldn’t take much.

-

The experience of coming under Tori’s hands had been an intense one, much different than the last time Tori had gotten her off through layers of clothing. The tights left much less to the imagination, and their position left Jade with nothing to do but hold on and let Tori do all the work. Which had been great--Tori was getting pretty good at knowing what to do to get her there, something being horny all the time these days probably contributed to. But it had also been a bit of a mindfuck, the vulnerability of just lying there and taking it, with little to no possible recourse or redirection onto Tori possible. When Jade came, nothing in the universe existed but Tori, holding her in safety and launching her higher at the same time.

And when it was over, Jade knew it couldn’t be _over_. She had to return some of the favor she’d been given, to give Tori some of what she’d experienced, being metaphorically laid bare, defenseless under her hands.

And now, with her breasts swaying in Tori’s face, and feeling the motion of Tori’s hips as she ground herself hard on Jade’s thigh, Tori's foot on the floor of the car for leverage, matching the rhythm of Jade’s movements. Jade felt the satisfaction in each of Tori’s breathy moans, in the way one hand rested on her ass, urging her forward, the other wrapped around to rest on Jade’s back. She held herself up against the door and the back of the seat, really focusing on the movement of her body against Tori’s. She looked down to see Tori’s head thrown back against the backseat pillow, mouth parted, eyes closed in bliss.

She felt the way Tori’s hips began to grind arrhythmically against her, heard her moans begin to get louder, her fingers grasp onto Jade harder. As Jade watched her face, Tori’s eyes opened briefly, meeting Jade’s, and something like an electric shock poured over Jade, almost doubling her over into another orgasmic-like sensation, but then Tori’s eyes closed and her head tipped further back and she let out a groan as she came, body jerking sharply against Jade’s, shuddering and undulating against the backseat of the car, moans punctuating each jolt of her body.

Tori was already pulling Jade closer as she came down from her orgasm, arms tightening, and Jade allowed herself to be borne down onto Tori’s chest, held against her as Tori caught her breath. She nuzzled into Tori’s shoulder, breathing in the scent of that damn shampoo, knowing that particular fragrance was already embedded into her psyche and always would be, a simultaneously soothing and invigorating scent, like Tori herself.

She kissed Tori’s neck and jaw as Tori seemed to recover her senses, and finally, Tori exhaled a sigh, “God, I love you.”

Jade chuckled into her skin, “I love you, too.”

They lay like that for a few more moments, both recovering from the intimacy they’d shared. Other than what had just happened immediately before this moment, Jade couldn’t think of anything she’d rather be doing on a Saturday. Okay, maybe the backseat of her car wasn’t ideal or the most comfortable, but being wrapped up in Tori was easily becoming a favorite pastime. For being so lithe and lanky, her girlfriend managed to make Jade feel safe and secure whenever they ended up this way, which was a vulnerability she preferred to keep private. The idea of another person providing a sense of security to Jade West didn’t really fall in line with the brand she’d created for herself.

Of course, being Tori’s girlfriend wasn’t something she’d planned on or even imagined six months ago. And now, here they were.

Tori shifted, pressed a light kiss to Jade’s forehead, and said, “I’m kind of getting really hungry.”

Honestly, Jade was, too. “There’s that grilled cheese place next to the movie theater.” She pushed herself up on one arm to kiss Tori’s cheek, then her jaw, then her lips. “They have all the _special_ cheeses.”

“That sounds amazing.” Tori lifted up her head. “But what time is it? Are they even open?”

Jade groped around for her phone. It was just after nine-thirty. How was it still so early? She pulled up the listing for the restaurant. “They open in half an hour.”

Tori groaned, but said, “I probably need a minute, anyway.”

Jade pulled herself up on her knees, then shifted to sit down on the seat. “Yeah, you might wanna take care of that sex hair.”

“What?” Tori exclaimed, righting herself as she searched around for her own phone, then looked at herself on the screen. “Oh, god.” She reached to run her fingers through her hair but stopped and looked at her hand, the one that had been between Jade’s legs. “Um…”

Jade watched, her lip tucked between her teeth, realizing just _why_ Tori was hesitant. “Here,” she said, reaching over to smooth Tori’s mussed hair. Even though they couldn’t eat until ten, Jade felt like they needed to get out of the car. Especially with Tori looking so cute and sexy and disheveled.

Despite deciding it was pointless to try and compete with Trina, they both determined it couldn’t hurt to post some new pictures of themselves on The Slap. The view from the parking garage was a good one, so they posed against it and took a few snaps together. Then Jade tugged Tori closer and allowed for a few more to be taken while they kissed, but as soon as they viewed them, they realized it wasn’t that easy to look cute or sexy in a kissing selfie.

“What even is my face doing?” Tori asked.

Jade shook her head. “You look fine, I look like I’m a bloated zombie.”

“Shut up, you look great.”

“Nope. I hate it.” Jade deleted most of the pictures, keeping the two best ones of them just posing together (for The Slap) and one of them nose-to-nose (just for herself).

-

Tori spent the rest of her day finishing the stab-olin, which she was honestly kind of proud of, and...okay, also posting things on The Slap in hopes of getting more followers. She and Jade may have agreed that it was stupid to try to compete with Trina, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to try. She saw that Jade had posted a lot of new things to The Slap, including a couple of artsy very short films she’d made of things Tori knew were in her bedroom. It was exactly the kind of thing she’d heard Jade say in the past that she hated, that The Slap wasn’t the place for her art, and yet...well, Tori could sympathize. It was a shame they couldn’t manage to take any pictures of them kissing that looked good. It probably would’ve been a surefire way to up their follower count.

But when she got dropped off at school the next morning (Jade claimed she was already there), on a Sunday, she was surprised to notice that a bunch of students were there. _Weird_. Maybe the students studying some of the other disciplines had to meet on Sundays sometimes the way Tori had Saturday acting workshop.

More importantly, though, no one in her group was anywhere to be found, and not even Jade responded to her texts. She waited in Sikowitz’s classroom for a while, and then took to wandering the halls with her stab-olin. Okay, she had been late yesterday, but not like this.

She ran into Sinjin at his locker, and asked if he’d seen any of the friends she was supposed to be meeting. After a weird disclosure about his underwear being on backwards, Sinjin told Tori, “Robbie’s in the janitor’s closet.”

“Why?” Tori asked.

“Hey, I don’t ask people why they’re in closets,” Sinjin replied, walking away. The phrase gave Tori serious pause for a moment, but there were more important things to worry about.

She walked in on Robbie making a video on The Slap about a contest promising a prize to whoever found him in his secret location first. It wasn’t until a crowd of students ran off with Robbie’s shoes and socks that it even occurred to Tori that maybe the prize should’ve gone to her. Not that she wanted anything that had touched Robbie’s feet.

Still, Robbie was upping his game. It was starting to occur to Tori that maybe she would need to, too.

She left Robbie traumatized and barefoot in the janitor’s closet and walked out to the sound of her girlfriend screaming into a megaphone. “Then show me! Show me your phones, right now!”

Jade seemed to be terrorizing a group of students, who all showed her their phones. Seriously, why was everyone here on a Sunday?

“Hey!” Jade shouted at someone, “What’s your name?”

“Pepper,” the girl replied shakily. She was in one of Tori’s classes.

“Do you follow me on The Slap?” Jade asked. Pepper stuttered in response. “Why not?!” Jade demanded.

“I just moved here,” Pepper got out.

“Okay, well whip out your phone and follow me on The Slap,” Jade told her.

“Okay, okay,” Pepper got out her phone.

Oh god. Jade was pushing the _whoop whoop_ sound effect button on the megaphone and shouting, “All of you! Right now!” while strutting around in her black and red tank top and her studded black skirt and...okay. She was _hot_ today, and all that commanding energy just added to it.

But Tori honestly thought Jade was kind of over this. Instead, Jade had come to school extra early, instead of picking Tori up, to...intimidate other students? Tori approached her with a scowl, “So you’re scaring people into following you?”

“I’m gently suggesting that they follow me,” Jade replied, as if Tori hadn’t just seen a dozen students scattering from her hurriedly punching away at their phones. Tori rolled her eyes just as Jade raised her megaphone to a passing student, shouting, “Hey! Do you follow me on The Slap?” The guy shook his head, grunting in the negative and staring wide-eyed. “Follow me!” Jade screamed. She turned back to Tori looking like her normal, grumpy self.

Okay. There was definitely something sexy about watching Jade take control of a room, or a whole school, for that matter. It was such a stark contrast to the Jade that had kissed Tori gently and snuggled her and smoothed her hair after making her come in the back of Jade’s car and...okay, where was she? Tori tried to remember why they were even all here on a Sunday--well, why she and her friends were. She still didn’t get what was happening with everyone else. “We have to go make our short film,” she reminded Jade.

“No, I have to get more Slap followers,” Jade replied in desperation.

“Why?” Tori asked. They’d agreed that Trina didn’t matter enough to put in this much effort.

“Because Beck was up all night tweeting hot pics of himself, so he got two hundred more followers,” Jade explained sharply, “And there is no way I’m going to let him have more followers than I have.”

Beck got _two hundred_ more followers? “Why not?” Tori asked, though it registered with her that she had some catching up to do.

“Because I’m prettier than he is!” Jade exploded.

Tori scrunched up her face. “Are you?” she asked, just to get a rise out of Jade. And okay, maybe she’d agreed to forgive Jade for being kind of grunchy to her yesterday morning when she was late, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t dish out some of the same right back.

Jade fumed at her for a long moment, and Tori felt a jolt of excitement in her stomach, wondering what might happen next. But all that happened was that Jade strode past her, _whoop whoop_ -ing her megaphone, and hollering, “Follow me!” at a group of bystanders.

Tori noticed Cat coming into the school. “Cat!” she called, hurrying toward her. Maybe Cat had just been running late.

Instead, Cat was just tweeting every part of their interaction without really speaking to Tori directly, though she did narrate her tweets as she typed, which was how Tori found out she “hashtag don’t care”-d about their short film project.

“Will you put your phone down and talk to me?” Tori asked.

“I can’t,” Cat told her, “I’m doing a thousand tweets a day.”

Okay, even Cat had a strategy. Even if it was one that led to her tweet inane things like, “I like birds and cheese.”

As soon as they made their short film, Tori was going to do something bold to get more followers. She just had to figure out what that was.

Even Andre was caught up in it, and he was the one person who didn’t seem to care the day before. Though even he pretended not to care when Tori found him at the piano in the Black Box Theater.

“I’m disgusted by all the nonsense!” he told her firmly.

“Well, so am I,” Tori lied.

“You started the nonsense,” he pointed out.

“Well, I’m over it,”

“Good.”

Tori left him there, but then listened at the door, and sure enough, he was making a video for The Slap.

“I caught you slap-handed!” she shouted at him.

“Look, I can deal with having less followers than Trina,” he explained, “But I will not have less followers than Robbie!”

Well, that made sense to Tori. Chiz, did she have fewer followers than Robbie? Okay, this short film wasn’t happening today. It was time to post something new.

She stepped out into the hall to do just that, but then Andre interrupted her, screaming, “Aha!” Tori shrieked and ran away. Okay, so what if maybe she _did_ care about this?

Time to find Sinjin.

Tori went home and set up her workspace in the living room to monitor all of her competition (Beck, Andre, Cat and Robbie) on all the different Pear devices she could get her hands on. She wasn’t monitoring Jade, because even if Jade was out of her mind with this competition, Tori figured they were sort of on the same team. In that, they weren’t directly competing with each other, and if Jade ended up with the most followers, Tori would feel good about that outcome.

So she’d invited Sinjin, a neutral party, to help her with her latest plan: trying to make a viral video.

The problem was, everyone else kept posting videos too. Robbie gave himself a makeover. Beck took off his shirt to wash his car with it. This was _not good_.

So when Sinjin pointed the camera at her, Tori started with her signature introduction, “Yo, yo, yo!” and let it flow from there. She knew it was kind of silly, but it was fun, and it always got her pumped to do a video.

And this video had to happen because some idle tweeting the night before about the Kyoki Powder Milk Challenge had gotten a lot of traction on her page. She had her glass of milk and Kyoki powder ready to go, and struck a gong to signify the beginning of the challenge. It only startled her a _little_ bit. Chiz, that was loud.

She started prepping for the challenge, narrating her actions as she dumped a spoonful of Kyoki powder into her glass of milk--oops, she’d said a teaspoon, hadn’t she? That was certainly a little more than...oh well. A consummate performer, she pressed on.

She hit the timer and started trying to chug milk. Except...oh god. It was awful. She literally couldn’t choke it down. But she just kept trying. It was for _followers_ , damn it!

Her mom was going to be furious about the floor.

-

Jade had been feeling aggressive and frustrated ever since this stupid Slap followers competition had started. Other than the reprieve of the morning in her car in the parking garage, she hadn’t been able to focus on anything else. Not even Tori, though to be fair, Tori hadn’t said much to her, either. They were both invested in this competition, and Jade was going to win.

When she picked Tori up for school, they spent the drive complaining about everyone else’s ridiculous video updates, especially Beck’s gratuitous car washing stunt. They both agreed their friends were being outrageous and unreasonable with how far they were taking all of this. But somehow, _somehow_ Tori failed to mention that she’d done the Kyoki Powder Milk Challenge at some point over the weekend because the video auto-posted right before lunch. Jade was embarrassed _for her_ because it looked totally humiliating. And also, she was pissed because she’d spent an hour and a half driving around the night before, trying to find a store that carried the Kyoki powder so _she_ could do the challenge.

She spotted Tori at their regular lunch table with her laptop open in front of her.

“What?” Tori asked after Jade stormed over and towered above her.

On top of everything, Tori was eating that damn spaghetti from the Grub Truck. Okay, girlfriend business first. Jade picked up the plastic dish of noodles and meatballs and flung it across the quad. Tori had asked her to help manage this problem, so she was managing it.

Tori gasped. “You chucked my noodles!” Yep, sweetheart, sure did. Oops, wait, she forgot a meatball, that had to go, too. It actually felt pretty good to throw something, considering. “What was that for?” Tori cried.

Jade cut right to the chase. “You posted a video of you doing the Kyoki Powder Milk Challenge!”

“So?”

“I was going to do that to get more followers, but now I can’t because you did.” Okay, now that it was coming out of her mouth, maybe it sounded kind of dumb.

But not as absurd as when Tori followed up with, “Well, tough tooties!”

“Don’t you _ever_ say ‘tough tooties’ to me.”

Despite the conflict, Jade sat down on the bench next to Tori. She supposed she should replace the meal she’d just launched through the air. “What do you want for lunch that’s _not_ that horrendous pasta?”

“Pizza, I guess,” Tori decided. “Okay, but why did you even want to do the challenge? The stuff you’ve been posting is way cooler than watching someone choke down Kyoki milk.”

Jade knew Tori was right. Her films were far more creative than some stupid internet fad. But that didn’t seem to matter to the masses. “Not according to my follower count.”

Beck and Andre approached in a heated argument about their own approach to increasing their profile traffic. Andre thought Beck’s shirtless video was cheap, Beck didn’t agree with Andre’s method of having his grandmother tweet for him. When Andre denied it, Beck read several of the messages, which were obviously not written by Andre himself. Cat joined them, still tweeting every single thing she was doing and when Tori called her out on it, Cat suggested, via her current tweet, Tori was on her period. Then came Robbie, accusing Cat of making false tweets about him, which turned out to be accurate. That led to Sinjin joining the conversation, which quickly dissolved into more arguing about whether or not Tori was at fault for even starting this whole thing, in the first place. Somehow, Tori got a hold of a trombone and blasted it in their faces (and, wait, Tori knew how to work a trombone?) to shut them up.

“I didn’t start the followers war,” stated Tori. “I just wanted to get more followers than Trina.”

Then Andre asked the million-dollar question. “Well, how the helicopter did your dang sister get so many followers in the first place?”

Sinjin interjected with the answer. “Three months ago, Trina told me that if I’d hack into The Slap and change her number of followers from thirty-four to nine-hundred, she’d teach me how to jump rope. So, I hacked in and I gave her nine-hundred Slap followers.”

Wait. What. The entire reason Jade had wasted half of her weekend and gotten into multiple arguments with Tori was because this nerd, this _Sinjin_ , wanted to learn how to jump rope? And now he was lecturing them all about how they were talented and popular and good friends who shouldn’t even care about Slap followers. Gross, like she needed a PSA about the whole thing.

But, he was right and they were all feeling it. They did need to get their short film finished and they were running out of time.

“Hey! Do not worry,” Tori told them all, “We have nineteen hours to finish that short film, and I say that’s plenty of time for six great friends to make the best short film this school’s ever seen!”

Except, it wasn’t. Nineteen hours was not a lot of time when you had to account for school and sleep.

They ended up filming at Tori’s house because Sikowitz’s classroom wasn’t available and most of what they needed for a set could be improvised out of Tori’s living room furniture. Robbie was in charge of actually cutting the film together, so they knew they needed to finish filming before it got too late so he could reasonably do it. Everything was rushed, which Jade kind of knew as it was happening, and they only got single takes of far too many different shots.

At least the costumes looked pretty decent. Since Jade had been in charge of that, she felt pretty good about holding up her end of the bargain. And, she gave her character an eyepatch. Just because.

She and Beck handled the majority of the camera work, except for a couple of shots that had all of them in it that they got Trina to film for them. Or, well, Beck got Trina to film for them.

Jade wanted to let go of the stupid Slap fight--because frighteningly enough, Sinjin was right, it really didn’t matter--but Beck still had more followers than she did, and it annoyed her.

“Yeah, let’s let Beck do the talking, he’s the prettiest one here,” she grumbled, slouching onto the couch next to Tori and shooting her a hard look. She also hadn’t forgotten what Tori had said about their comparative prettiness, and the way their follower counts seemed to reflect this.

Tori poked her, “I beg to differ,” she said, still lilting her voice the way her character spoke for the movie.

Jade looked at her, recognizing both the playfulness of Tori’s insistence on staying in character, and the challenge of it. “Oh, really,” she drawled, like the alcoholic society woman she was playing, “And who, pray tell, is the prettiest one here.”

“Well,” Tori looked away bashfully, “My husband is _very_ pretty. One needs someone who looks nice on one’s arm. But my predilections run somewhat in a...different direction.”

Jade suppressed a smirk, “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re referring to.” She mimed taking a sip of her beverage, watching Tori intently with her one eye.

“You asked my opinion on beauty,” Tori replied, “And I must say I find you to be the most striking beauty among us.”

Jade straightened her spine. “You must be _mad_ ,” she hissed, “I’m missing an eye.”

“Even with your eyepatch, your beauty astounds me,” Tori leaned toward her on the couch, “How did it happen, by the way?” She raised a gloved finger as if she was considering tapping the eyepatch, but then lowered it.

“I got too close to my husband when he was lost in his violin. The bow caught me in the eye.” She watched Tori, then disclosed, “I’m only with him for the money.”

“Then neither of us are satisfied by our husbands,” Tori leaned closer, “We should start a torrid affair!”

“I must admit I am sorely tempted,” Jade replied, letting her finger trail along Tori’s jaw. “A sweet, young thing like you throwing yourself at my feet is quite an offer.”

“Awww,” Cat burst out. It was then that Jade noticed they were being watched by everyone, including Trina, who stood next to Beck at the foot of the stairs, looking disturbed.

“Okay,” Jade continued in her normal voice, “Let’s get these group scenes filmed so we can finish this up.” As everyone moved to take their places for the first group shot, she turned to Tori, speaking in her character’s voice again, “Do you have any plans, for after these _murders_?”

“Why, none at all,” Tori whispered back, letting her gloved fingers run down Jade’s arm.

They wrapped up and got everyone else out of there so late that they didn’t end up having much time to enjoy after the “murders,” but at the very least, they got to make out in the Vega living room for a bit before being interrupted by, yes, Trina. Jade left pretty quickly after that.

In class the next day, they watched their short film. Jade shifted uncomfortably with every one of her lines. She wanted to blame Robbie, since he was the one who cut it together, but she also knew that he _really_ didn’t have much to work with. Chiz, especially that one take where Cat completely forgot her line, Jade remembered now that they were supposed to redo that one. At least everyone came out looking bad. The “Teh End” was definitely Robbie’s fault, though, so Jade was inclined to blame him the most.

“Well,” their teacher stood up, “That was the worst short film I have ever seen at this school,” she told them, succinctly and critically.

Jade couldn’t even be mad about it. She could only be mad that her name was attached to this lousy work.

She knew artists were supposed to suffer, but she didn’t think it counted if they were just incompetant.

-

The reality that Jade was staying over _this weekend_ was starting to really hit for Tori. Now that The Slap Fight was finally over, and they’d thrown together a really embarrassing short film, Tori was finally able to concentrate on the things in her life that were important. Her friends, and especially, Jade.

In the shower that morning, she’d suddenly found herself very awake when she thought about what she and Jade had been doing, and what they might end up doing this weekend, if things continued along this same trajectory. And as she washed herself, she starting to think about Jade naked, and then she started to think about Jade seeing _her_ naked, and even though she was pretty sure they wouldn’t be able to actually get naked in her bedroom, there might be touching of new areas and, oh god, Tori was spiraling as she started wondering just what Jade was expecting.

It was a thought that lingered through her school day, as she and Jade managed to get through the Jet Brew line quicker than normal and kissed in the parking lot for a few minutes before heading to school, as their teacher shredded their short film project in front of everyone, as Jade bought her lunch for the second day in a row to make up for chucking her noodles yesterday, until the ride home after which she enjoyed an intense make-out session with her girlfriend during Driveway Time.

“Looking forward to the weekend,” Jade told her, a glint in her eyes, before she drove away.

And Tori was, too, but now she was back to worrying.

She went upstairs to get started on the mountain of homework that had piled up while she was spending all her time focusing about her followers on The Slap. But she was still thinking about her body as she heard Trina wailing along to some song in her room. She and Trina used to be close. Well, sort of. Trina had always been pretty self-absorbed, but she’d been protective of Tori when they were littler, and her ego had been more manageable before she got into Hollywood Arts. When they were both in junior high, she and Trina had talked a lot about boys and kissing, conversations that in retrospect, Tori had blundered through a little bit, looking at magazines with her sister and trying to find traits about the boys that she liked. It had been much more about bonding with her sister than anything else, and at the time Tori just figured she’d know more about what she liked about guys when she actually had her first crush.

Besides, who else could she possibly ask about this? The thought of asking her mom was just too mortifying for words.

So now, she knocked on the ajar door in the bathroom leading to Trina’s room.

“What?” Trina screeched, turning down her music.

Tori opened the door carefully, “Hey, can I talk to you?”

“Aww,” Trina’s expression softened, “Are you finally coming to get some advice from your cool, smart, and gorgeous big sister? Where do you want to start? I have a lot of suggestions. Starting with your choice in girlfriends.”

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” Tori started to turn away.

“No!” Trina called, turning off her music entirely. “Hey, I’m listening. What do you want to talk about?”

Tori took a deep breath. This was a normal thing to ask, right? “I was just wondering,” she started, “What do you do with...you know,” she waved her hand in front of her body at hip level, “ _This_. Like...what’s normal?”

“Oh, my god,” Trina looked horrified. “Are you serious right now?”

“I mean,” Tori pressed on, blushing as she tried to explain, “I know how to keep it manageable, but like--”

“Tori,” Trina interrupted, “If you can’t figure out what to do in that department, just never wear a bathing suit again.”

That was not what Tori was trying to ask at all, and she thought it should be obvious that she had that under control. “It’s not--”

“Nope,” Trina said, “We are absolutely not discussing this. Bye, Tori.” And Tori got backed into the bathroom before Trina very firmly shut the door.

“Grunch,” Tori muttered as she exited to her own room.

“I heard that!” Trina shouted, then the blare of her PearTunes filled her room once more.

Tori sat at her desk and opened her PearBook, and was struck by the sudden realization that Trina wasn’t the only person she had to ask about this. She found herself, once again, on Patrice Kline’s website, clicking the Contact Me tab, and composing an email.

**Hi Patrice,**

**It’s Tori Vega again. I was wondering if you might have time to answer a question for me.**

**Things have been heating up with my girlfriend and I’m starting to wonder about what’s expected as far as**

Um, how was she going to word this?

**grooming in the**

Oh god. She really was writing this, wasn’t she? But she wanted to know and she definitely didn’t want to end up on some internet search that led straight to another round of accidental porn.

**more private areas. Like, I guess I’m just wanting to know if there’s something specific I should be doing. Though I’m already doing I guess regular maintenance or whatever.**

**Thanks for your time,**

**Tori :)**

**P.S. I did actually send this on purpose.**

She hit the “send” button, then went back to her homework. Maybe ten minutes later, she had a notification that a new email had been received, so she quickly checked it, assuming it was Patrice. Instead it was an email from Northridge College asking if she would be available to sing the national anthem at their All-Star college basketball game on Thursday night. Apparently, they needed a replacement for someone who’d dropped out and the head of the booking department remembered Tori from the Platinum Music Awards.

After a quick jaunt downstairs to check with her parents about performing, she replied and confirmed that she would absolutely love to perform at the game. Her next item of business was to immediately text Jade.

**Guess who’s singing the national anthem at the Northridge All-Star Game???**

**Um**

**Do I get a hint?**

**You love them**

**Joan Jett??????**

**No**

**You LOVE them**

**I think you’ve underestimated my love to Joan Jett**

**It’s not someone famous**

**And I love them?**

**Yes**

**Uh**

****

**It’s ME!!!** 😃😃😃

**OMG really??**

**Tori, that’s amazing!**

**How??**

Tori filled Jade in on the details of the email and confirmed that, yes, it had come from an official Northridge College email address.

**Oh hey**

**What?**

**I love you probably almost as much as I love Joan Jett**

****

😘

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _You Don't Know Me_ by Elizabeth Gillies.
> 
> This chapter takes place during or references the episodes:
> 
> Brain Squeezers (4.10)
> 
> The Slap Fight (4.11)
> 
> Star-Spangled Tori (4.12)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> Jade climbed the stairs and knocked on Tori’s bedroom door, which was open a crack. The only reply was a wordless groan. Jade poked her head in to find Tori lying on her bed, in a tank top and shorts like she’d worn to sleep in before, a pillow over her head. “Hey,” Jade said cautiously, “I’m back.” She set her overnight bag down next to Tori’s desk.
> 
> “What do you want?” Tori mumbled, muffled into her pillow.
> 
> Jade paused. Maybe they had really broken Tori earlier. “Well,” she started, removing her jacket and hanging it on the back of Tori’s desk chair, “My girlfriend’s mother invited me to rub weed cream on her body and then sleep with her, and I wasn’t about to say no.”
> 
> Tori lifted the pillow from her head enough to frown at Jade, her glasses sliding down her nose. “Weed cream?” she asked skeptically.
> 
> “Yep,” Jade hefted the little jar, holding it up for inspection. “She told me to rub it on your sore spots.”
> 
> Tori groaned at this and let the pillow fall back over her eyes, “I’m _humiliated_.”
> 
> “Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Jade sat carefully at the foot of the bed, “You remembered all the lyrics. So _you_ didn’t do anything wrong.”
> 
> “ _Of course_ it was that bad,” Tori moaned, “I got _dog dragged_ on television and even _you_ had to tell me that it’s been uploaded like fifty times on SplashFace.”
> 
> “Sorry,” Jade said, wincing as she heard that she definitely didn’t sound it, “But you _did_ say I could laugh at stuff like this if you weren’t seriously hurt. And since you kept singing, I knew you weren’t hurt.” She smirked. “And it _was_ hilarious.”
> 
> “I fell _hard_ on my hip and shoulder,” Tori retorted, lifting the pillow enough to glare.
> 
> “I...you seemed fine,” Jade said lamely, “Sorry,” she said again, and it was more sincere this time.
> 
> Tori moaned piteously for a moment, then mumbled, “I’m thirsty. Will you go get me an orange soda?”
> 
> “Sure,” Jade rose and headed downstairs. She was torn between the fact that, okay, that _had_ been legitimately hilarious, but now the fact that Tori might be actually hurt was staring her right in the face. The conflict inside her was intense.


	10. There's no one quite like you, you push all my buttons down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely M rated.

Tori, to her credit, wasn’t making a big deal about her performing at the Northridge game, something Jade had expected because, even though Tori could be cute and adorable, she had weird ways of celebrating her accomplishments. Jade assumed it had something to do with growing up with Trina, but even with a good reason, it didn’t make Tori any less embarrassing, especially when she was still coming down off of the humiliation that was the Kyoki Powder Milk Challenge video.

They were in the middle of an acting exercise in Sikowitz’s class when Tori began asking weird questions about what certain words meant. Words that just happened to be in a certain national anthem. Normally, Jade would have been amused at Tori’s low-key torturing of their teacher, but she was in the middle of a “squaddling” scene (in which she and Andre had to both squat and waddle while they delivered lines) and her thighs were really starting to burn. While Sikowitz rambled an answer to one of Tori’s questions, Jade couldn’t take it anymore and stood up. Her entire lower body was cramping and she just needed to stretch--

“Hey!” shouted Sikowitz, realizing Jade and Andre had both abandoned the exercise. “Squat!”

Ugh. They both dropped back down.

“I don’t understand why we have to do the scene like this,” protested Jade.

Sikowitz droned on about different types of theatre and Robbie interjected with some boring fact that she didn’t care about and finally, they were about to get back to the scene when Tori interrupted, again.

“What does it mean when something is spangled?” Tori asked.

“Dang it, Tori,” said Sikowitz, “I only want to answer squat-related questions.”

Cat desperately wanted to try the squaddling, so Andre gave up his spot on stage and then Tori asked _another_ question about the stupid anthem. Jade knew Tori absolutely knew every word she was asking about already. Like, seriously, this was something Jade actually still found annoying about her girlfriend. Tori couldn’t just say she was singing the anthem, she had to make a big deal out of people asking about it.

Which Sikowitz did. “Why are you asking these infernal questions?”

“Because,” Tori had finally been given her moment, “I’m singing the national anthem at the Northridge college basketball game tomorrow night.”

Jade couldn’t help herself. “Don’t forget the lyrics.” She was confident Tori wouldn’t because Tori was Tori, but she deserved a little ribbing for drawing out this not-so-big reveal.

“Why would I forget the lyrics?” Tori asked.

“Because lots of people do,” Jade informed her.

Andre nodded. “True chiz.”

The class began to share stories of other performers who had forgotten the words and how their lives were ruined because of it.

“I’m not going to forget the words,” Tori insisted, though she looked like she might be doubting that, at this point.

“By the dawn’s early ramparts, so gallantly brave rockets.” Why was this still so easy? Jade was mildly concerned she was out of practice, but giving Tori a hard time came so naturally to her.

Tori finally refused to be teased any longer and rose from her chair, singing the lyrics off the page, right at Jade. She’d be fine, Jade was sure. Though maybe she needed to buy her girlfriend lunch a _third_ time in a row.

**Anything you want is on me for lunch today**

**EXCEPT SPAGHETTI**

**You can’t just feed me whenever you’re mean to me**

**You have to eat**

**I have to be a smartass**

**It’s a balance**

**That’s cheating**

**You know I can’t resist**

**I play to win**

Even though Jade had convinced herself it was fine to tease Tori in class, she felt better after the text conversation. They’d talked about just how much Jade was allowed to mess with Tori at school, but maybe they needed specific boundaries.

Just before last period, when her legs were killing her after squaddling combined with so many trips up and down all the steps in the school, she and Robbie spotted Cat buying several sodas from the machine and loading them into her bag. It was something they’d both seen her do earlier that week, Robbie had noticed Cat brushing her teeth in the girl’s bathroom (and it was unclear why Robbie was in there, in the first place), and Jade had seen Cat’s bike there late the night before when she’d driven by with her mom.

When they tried to ask Cat what she was up to, she freaked out and ran away, dumping her heavy bag of sodas in the hall. Jade’s legs were on fire, but she didn’t give up the chase. Actually, all the running seemed to help with the cramping, though she worried it would probably be painful later. They followed her as far as the blackbox, but once they were inside, Cat was nowhere to be found. There was a similar chase the next day and Cat, again, somehow eluded them. Holly had covertly invited all of the gang over to watch Tori’s performance at the Vega house and to be there for her when she returned home, so Jade and Robbie figured they’d corner Cat there and make her tell them what she was up to.

That afternoon, Jade dropped Tori off with a hearty round of kissing for good-luck, then went home to work on an essay she had due on Monday. It was hard to concentrate on writing, though, because her legs still ached from the day before. She’d taken some Advil to get through the day, but it was wearing off and she wanted to try stretching before popping more painkillers, but that only lasted for about five minutes before she was opening the medicine cabinet.

By the time she drove back to Tori’s, she at least wasn’t in much pain. It was just annoying that something as artistically useless as squaddling was affecting her life.

Robbie had asked her for a ride to Tori’s earlier in the day, so she had to pick him up before heading to the Vega house. Which was actually fine, because he was the only other person who had noticed that Cat was acting weird, so she did have a reason to want to talk to him. They pitched possibilities and discussed ways to try to get her to spill what was happening as Jade drove.

Even with having to pick up Robbie, they were still the first ones to make it to Tori’s house. Trina opened the door when Jade knocked and let them in, looking like she’d absolutely rather shut the door in their faces.

“So _not_ glad you could make it,” Trina sneered.

“Nice to see you, too,” Jade breezed past Trina to go get something to drink from the fridge.

While she waited, she figured it was a good idea to check in with Tori. She knew she’d warmed up and reviewed the lyrics during the afternoon, but Jade wanted to make sure Tori knew she had support, even if Jade had given her chiz about all this the day before.

**Break a leg out there, Vega**

**❤️**

**Thanks ❤️**

Jade resisted the urge to tease her any further and put her phone down.

Beck and Andre showed up before too long, and they all gathered in the kitchen to chat. Jade noticed that Beck was talking to Trina and actually didn’t look completely offended by her. Well, that was a little disturbing. He always was too nice for his own good.

She and Robbie had been waiting for Cat to arrive, and she showed up later than anyone else. But when they went to try to confront her about why she had been acting so weird lately, Andre called their attention to the fact that Tori was about to start singing. So the elusive Cat escaped them once again.

Jade settled on one of the Vega couches, Beck taking a seat next to her, maybe to avoid Trina. Jade noticed the snack platter on the table had egg rolls, Doritos, and grapes. _Why_? At least the grapes looked good.

On the television, an announcer introduced the Northridge College mascot, a giant Saint Bernard. Seriously, Northridge was such a joke. At least they’d asked someone decent to sing the anthem. Tori was announced and, as Jade watched her, she actually did look a little nervous after she was handed the microphone. Even though she obviously couldn’t hear them, the group cheered her on with words of support, except for Trina who couldn’t understand why _she_ hadn’t been tapped to sing. Everyone chimed in with their opinion that Trina was, in fact, not qualified and she shouted at them to shut up.

Which was fine, because Tori was about to begin.

Whatever waver in her confidence that had existed moments before was gone as she effortlessly started the song. Jade usually made fun of Tori’s blazers, but she looked pretty cute in the red one she’d chosen to wear over her American flag t-shirt. And, hey, she was remembering all the words. Uh, but, welp. That big giant hairball of a dog suddenly ran across the court and _somehow_ his leash wrapped around Tori’s foot and pulled her to the ground.

Ouch. It seriously looked like it hurt.

But then Tori just _kept singing_. She finished the entire national anthem while being dragged back and forth across a basketball court _on television_. Jade was very relieved for two reasons: one, because it means Tori was probably okay and two, if Tori was okay, it meant Jade could laugh about this moment in time _forever_.

“Well,” said Cat, “she remembered all the words.”

Indeed, she had.

Everyone was in a slight state of shock about what they’d just seen, at least until Trina mentioned there were pizza rolls her mom had left for them. The group migrated back to the kitchen, wondering if this meant Tori would be forever among those humiliated while singing the national anthem.

Jade decided a check-in was probably in order.

**Yowza. You okay?**

**At least you remembered all the words!**

**I don’t wanna talk about it**

Jade wondered if she should tell Tori she was at the house, but it had been a surprise coordinated by Holly, so she decided against it.

Jade had wanted to cheer Tori up or at least make her laugh, which was why she’d chosen Spongebob. But it seemed like Tori was maybe taking this pretty hard.

**Do you want me to fight that dog?**

**I will**

**Right now I just want to go home and cry into a pillow**

**I’ll text you later**

Again, Jade wondered if she should give Tori a head’s up about the party, but it was Holly’s thing, so maybe her mom would let her know what to expect. Or, maybe she absolutely did not do that because, twenty minutes later, when the front door opened and a completely bedraggled Tori walked into the house, she did not look as if she was expecting to see all of her friends (and Trina) in the living room.

Everyone started greeting her, talking over each other with gentle reassurances, but Tori just looked betrayed. Which was probably made worse by Rex announcing, “Heh! You got dog-dragged.” Okay, Jade _should not_ be smiling about this. Get it together.

“Why are they all here?” Tori asked Trina.

“Mom invited them,” Trina replied, slightly defensive. As if having Tori’s friends over wasn’t the only socialization Trina usually experienced.

Holly chuckled awkwardly, “I wanted your friends to be here to congratulate you and celebrate.” She wrapped a comforting arm around Tori, who just looked miserable. “I didn’t know you were going to mess up the song!” she stage-whispered in such a mom way that Jade could almost relate to Tori’s misery.

“I didn’t mess up the song! I was attacked by a giant dog!” Tori was unraveling fast, wildly gesturing. With her disheveled hair and whatever sheer sparkly thing she was wearing over her American flag t-shirt, it was kind of fun to look at. “Who I think wanted me to be his girlfriend,” she finished, looking at Jade despondently.

“Hey, Tori,” Jade started, looking at SplashFace on her phone.

Evidently, Tori had some idea of just what she was up to. She knew her too well. “What?” Tori aggroed at her, “What are you going to tell me? That someone already posted a video of me online?”

“No,” Jade replied, “About fifty people have posted it online,” she finished gleefully. Come on, this was _hilarious_. And they’d totally agreed that Jade was allowed to be amused as long as Tori wasn’t hurt. And here she was, ego bruised, but clearly fine.

“Oh, my god,” Tori groaned, slumping over the back of the sofa.

“Why didn't you just finish singing the national anthem and _then_ get dragged by the dog?” Cat wondered aloud.

Tori lifted her head, hair flipping as she did, “Why don’t you ask the psychotic dog who dragged me across the floor like a chew toy!” she screamed. But then she lost her steam almost immediately, “Ugh, I must’ve looked so ridiculous,” she slumped back down again.

“Well, here, I have it queued up on the DVR, take a look,” Trina offered. Jade was almost proud of the older sibling sadism she was witnessing.

“No! I don’t want to watch myself!” Tori hollered, hair wild as she panicked and then focused on the screen in dismay and horror.

They all watched again as Tori sang the final line of the song, being dog dragged the whole time. It was all Jade could do to keep it together, which was more than Rex could do.

“I feel so embarrassed and humiliated,” Tori spoke dejectedly. This time, when she slumped over the back of the sofa, she didn’t move.

Okay, maybe they’d actually pushed her too far. At least when she was being angry and frustrated about the situation, it was sort of fun, but this made Jade realize that perhaps Tori was more hurt than she’d initially thought.

“Well, this has been a great party,” she announced, trying to push everyone out the door.

Luckily, Cat, of all people, caught on, telling everyone that it seemed like Tori wanted to be alone.

“It’s been real,” Trina drawled at them as the group started for the door, patting Tori’s back and babbling their awkward goodbyes as they left.

As planned, Jade offered to give Cat a ride home, since she and Robbie were still trying to figure out what the hell was going on with her.

“Yeah, you can just drop me off at school,” Cat replied.

Okay, this was weird, but she and Robbie were on it. She handed Robbie her car keys and told him to get Cat in the car and she’d be out in a minute, preemptively glaring at Rex before he could even consider doing something weird with her car.

She approached Tori warily, rubbing her hand along her back. But before she could try to come up with anything comforting to say, Holly spoke to her quietly, “I know that you’re planning to stay over on Saturday, but if you want, you can stay over tonight, too.” She glanced at Tori, who still hadn’t moved from her slumped over position. “I think Tori could really use your support.”

“Yeah, okay,” Jade said, “I have to take care of something, but I’ll be over.” She turned to Tori, leaning on the back of the couch next to her, still petting her. “Hey, I’ll be back in a bit, okay?” she told her softly.

Tori’s only answer was a miserable whimper muffled into the couch pillows. Even Trina didn’t have anything to say about Jade staying over, she just watched Tori uncertainly.

It turned out that Cat was living in the attic of the school. She and Robbie finally tracked her down after dropping her off at school and sneaking in. Apparently, her brother’s mental health had deteriorated to the point that her parents had to take drastic measures and move to Idaho to help him get the treatment he needed. Cat had been living with her weird hippie aunt and uncle, and Jade didn’t even blame her for running away, because they sounded obnoxious. And her grandmother had apparently moved to Italy, which...seemed like a random, drastic move. Jade knew Cat’s family was Italian, but she didn’t think they spoke the language or anything.

She and Robbie left pretty quickly after the giant mice started falling from the ceiling. Legitimately horrifying. Jade wondered if she could find a way to include it in a film.

After she dropped Robbie off, the two of them brainstorming how to help Cat the whole way home, Jade dropped by her house to make sure it was still standing and packed a quick, basic overnight bag, then drove over to Tori’s.

This was _a lot_. She could deal with Cat’s problem tomorrow, she was already planning to call her family to figure out a solution, because even if they were overwhelmed with her brother’s problems, Jade doubted they would be happy with Cat sleeping in the school attic with giant mice. But right now, she had a super sad girlfriend to soothe, and Jade had already spent the better part of her evening laughing at her misery. This would probably take more delicacy than she was capable of.

When she knocked on the door of Tori’s house, Holly let her in. “Hi, Jade. Tori’s upstairs.”

Jade nodded grimly, ready to take her role of good girlfriend seriously. “I’ll head up, then.”

“Wait,” Holly bustled over to the kitchen table to grab something. “Take this. And don’t tell anyone I gave it to you.”

“What is it?” Jade asked, accepting the little unlabeled jar of what looked like ointment.

“It’s a CBD topical.” At Jade’s raised eyebrows, Holly elaborated, “It’s not psychotropic, so don’t expect to get high on it. But I think Tori would really like it if you’d apply it to her sore spots.”

Jade struggled to manage her expression as she grasped that Tori’s mom was handing her a cream she wanted Jade to apply to her daughter’s body. Oh, god, what was this family? “Okay, I’ll do that for her,” Jade agreed, “Thanks for letting me stay tonight.” She figured it didn’t hurt to stay on Tori’s parents’ good side.

“Thanks for coming,” Holly replied.

Jade climbed the stairs and knocked on Tori’s bedroom door, which was open a crack. The only reply was a wordless groan. Jade poked her head in to find Tori lying on her bed, in a tank top and shorts like she’d worn to sleep in before, a pillow over her head. “Hey,” Jade said cautiously, “I’m back.” She set her overnight bag down next to Tori’s desk.

“What do you want?” Tori mumbled, muffled into her pillow.

Jade paused. Maybe they had really broken Tori earlier. “Well,” she started, removing her jacket and hanging it on the back of Tori’s desk chair, “My girlfriend’s mother invited me to rub weed cream on her body and then sleep with her, and I wasn’t about to say no.”

Tori lifted the pillow from her head enough to frown at Jade, her glasses sliding down her nose. “Weed cream?” she asked skeptically.

“Yep,” Jade hefted the little jar, holding it up for inspection. “She told me to rub it on your sore spots.”

Tori groaned at this and let the pillow fall back over her eyes, “I’m _humiliated_.”

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Jade sat carefully at the foot of the bed, “You remembered all the lyrics. So _you_ didn’t do anything wrong.”

“ _Of course_ it was that bad,” Tori moaned, “I got _dog dragged_ on television and even _you_ had to tell me that it’s been uploaded like fifty times on SplashFace.”

“Sorry,” Jade said, wincing as she heard that she definitely didn’t sound it, “But you _did_ say I could laugh at stuff like this if you weren’t seriously hurt. And since you kept singing, I knew you weren’t hurt.” She smirked. “And it _was_ hilarious.”

“I fell _hard_ on my hip and shoulder,” Tori retorted, lifting the pillow enough to glare.

“I...you seemed fine,” Jade said lamely, “Sorry,” she said again, and it was more sincere this time.

Tori moaned piteously for a moment, then mumbled, “I’m thirsty. Will you go get me an orange soda?”

“Sure,” Jade rose and headed downstairs. She was torn between the fact that, okay, that _had_ been legitimately hilarious, but now the fact that Tori might be actually injured was staring her right in the face. The conflict inside her was intense.

Holly was downstairs at the kitchen table on her PearPhone, seeming disinterested in whatever Jade was doing. Jade wordlessly got out an orange soda and tipped the bottle at her when she glanced up. Holly smiled wanly, and Jade eyed the snack platter that had been moved to the kitchen counter. She grabbed a cluster of grapes and then headed back upstairs.

Tori was still lying in the same position Jade had left her in. “I got you a soda and some grapes,” Jade offered, closing the bedroom door behind her.

Tori lifted the pillow. “Feed them to me,” she instructed, tone still full of self-pity.

Jade snorted, “I am not _feeding_ you grapes. At least not while you’re lying down. Are you trying to choke to death?”

Tori just stared mournfully. Jade sighed, setting the beverage and grapes down on Tori’s bedside table, and sat next to her, coaxing her into sitting up against her pillows. Tori obeyed floppily. “Where’d you go?” she asked.

“Uh, kind of a long story. But I guess the short version is that Cat’s been living at the school and I need to call her parents tomorrow to figure something out for her.”

“Wait, what?” Tori sat up, still obviously in pain, but also revealing that she’d perhaps been playing up her discomfort for Jade’s sake. “Is she okay?”

“Not really. But then, is she ever?” Jade pulled off her boots and placed them next to her overnight bag. She was here to take care of Tori, so she was determined to do just that. “Now, I can either feed these to you or rub this CBD stuff on you, but I can’t do both.”

“I guess rub me,” Tori sighed.

Jade handed Tori her soda while she investigated the exposed skin of Tori’s shoulder. There was a definite bruise forming. “Okay, I’m a real chiz-head. This looks like it hurts.”

Tori shrugged. “Yeah.”

Jade squinted. “Yeah I’m a chiz-head or yeah it hurts?”

“Both.” Tori took another swig of her drink, eyeing Jade over the top of the bottle.

“Okay, I deserved that.” She unscrewed the cap of the jar. The contents smelled mostly like peppermint. “You ready for this?”

Tori set her soda bottle on the nightstand. “Guess so. Are we getting high, again?”

“Uh, no. Your mom was explicit that it would not do that. Unfortunately.” Jade positioned herself so she was facing Tori, then began gently rubbing the salve on her shoulder. “Does that feel okay?” she asked, trying to be cautious of the darkening skin of the bruise.

Tori nodded. “Though, now my bed is probably going to smell like that stuff all night.”

“Could do worse than minty fresh.” Jade kept rubbing gently. The salve had an oily quality to it that meant it didn’t really rub in completely. It really would get on Tori’s sheets, she thought. “Anywhere else?” she asked once she’d done her best to rub it all over Tori’s shoulder.

Tori nodded glumly, “My hip is really sore, too.”

“Okay,” Jade eyed her sleep shorts hesitantly.

Tori rolled onto her side away from Jade and tugged down her shorts and panties, revealing a darkening bruise on her hip bone. She twisted to look at herself, “Can you get to it?” she asked Jade.

“Yeah, I think so,” Jade replied quietly.

This was her true punishment, she thought, as she rubbed oily, minty, cannabis salve onto Tori’s bruised hip. Entirely half of Tori’s ass was exposed to her, and Jade could feel the soft, smooth skin of Tori’s hip under her fingertips as she rubbed the salve in the area. In another context, this would be totally sexy, and a part of Jade’s mind couldn’t help but to be aware of that, especially knowing that getting touched in the area she was currently rubbing was often a pretty big turn on for her. But it simply wasn’t arousing, not when she could see the bruise starting to form on Tori’s skin, and not when she remembered how much she’d laughed about it.

When she’d rubbed the salve in as best she could, she capped it, reached to pull Tori’s sleep shorts back into place, and leaned over to kiss her cheek. Tori smiled softly at the contact, and Jade excused herself to go wash her hands, feeling the salve still sticking to her skin.

She came back into the room, watching Tori, who had rolled back onto her back, lying propped up on her pillows. “Is it working?” Jade asked.

Tori shrugged, “Hard to tell, but I think it hurts a little less.”

“I wonder if it would work on my thighs,” Jade mused, sitting next to Tori on the bed.

Tori frowned, “Your thighs?”

“Yeah. They’re still so sore from the squaddling exercise yesterday in Sikowitz’s class.”

Tori’s gaze landed on Jade’s jean-clad legs. “I could rub it on you, if you like.”

“I’d...like that,” Jade replied.

“But first you have to feed me grapes,” Tori replied, settling back against her pillows and opening her mouth expectantly.

Jade groaned, “I am _not_ feeding you grapes!” She picked up a grape and tossed it at Tori’s waiting mouth.

Tori caught the grape as it bounced off her lip and into her lap. “I thought you didn’t want me to choke on these!” she gasped, dismayed.

“Catch it right and you won’t,” Jade replied, holding up another grape to aim at her.

Tori leaned forward to take the grape out of Jade’s fingers with her mouth, which...okay, finding that sexy was allowed, right? Tori leaned back against her pillows, looking satisfied as she chewed her grape. “Go change into your pajamas and I’ll _consider_ rubbing your thighs.”

“Gee, thanks,” Jade replied, walking over to her overnight bag to dig out her pajamas and take them into the bathroom with her where she triple checked that Trina’s bedroom door was locked.

Once she had changed, she stepped out of the bathroom to find Tori munching her way through the grapes. She held the grapes up and frowned, “We’re not allowed to have food up here, so what did my mom say--” and then she caught sight of Jade’s shirt. “That’s my shirt!”

Jade shrugged down at the Sherwood High School t-shirt. “You let me borrow it,” she replied.

“You’ve been borrowing it for a few months now,” Tori raised an eyebrow at her.

“Maybe I’m not finished with it,” Jade replied, settling on the bed next to her.

Tori rolled her eyes, but fondly. “It does look good on you.”

“You’re just saying that because you remember copping a feel through it,” Jade smirked.

Tori blushed and smiled faintly. She set what was left of the bunch of grapes on her bedside table. “Okay,” she instructed, “Lie down.”

“Uh,” Jade faltered at the force of her command, “Okay,” she agreed, sprawling out on her stomach, facing the foot of the bed.

She felt Tori’s hands on her upper legs. “What hurts? You said your thighs?” she ran her hand over Jade’s hamstring muscles.

“Yeah,” Jade murmured, “The front a little bit, too, but mostly there.”

“Okay.” She felt Tori lean over her lower legs to get the salve off the bedside table, and then moments later felt the cool sensation of the salve as Tori applied it to her thighs.

But Jade couldn’t even really find this all that erotic, even though Tori’s hands felt really nice, and even though she wasn’t shy about applying the salve right up to the top of Jade’s thighs, fingers grazing the bottom of her ass. Mostly, Jade just focused on the cool sensation, and the way Tori massaged lightly with her fingers, working the sore muscles. Jade exhaled softly into the comforter, feeling relief start to spread through her tight, aching flesh.

-

When Tori finished, she scrubbed the salve off her hands in the bathroom and when she returned, Jade was still lying face-down on the bed. She walked over to her desk and grabbed her PearBook. “We're watching a movie,” declared Tori, nudging at Jade with her knee as she climbed back on the bed.

“Okay,” Jade mumbled against the comforter.

“And you have to get up and snuggle me,” said Tori.

Jade pushed herself up and resituated herself back against the pillows. “Fine. Get over here,” she held out her arms and Tori settled herself against her, scrolling through the movies in her queue on her laptop.

She settled on _The Devil Wears Prada_ because she wanted something familiar and funny as a comfort and that she’d already seen in case she was distracted. Not that she had any plans for anything too intense. Her body really ached. And they both smelled strongly of peppermint. Jade didn’t make any kind of snide comment about the choice of the rom-com and, as they quietly cuddled, Tori noticed that Jade would laugh just before something funny would happen. Kind of like she’d seen the movie a few times before.

“Wait. Do you _like_ this movie?” Tori asked.

Jade’s only reply was, “It’s _The Devil Wears Prada_.” As Tori just sat up and stared at her, she added, “Who _doesn’t_ like this movie?”

“It just seems off-brand for you.”

“How dare you suggest Meryl Streep is off-brand for anyone.”

“Touche,” said Tori as she resumed snuggling.

As the movie progressed, Tori started nodding off against Jade’s shoulder. She tried to stay awake, but ultimately, she dropped off, because Jade woke her up gently and the movie was over.

It felt like it had been a really long day. And kind of a long week, to be honest, with the follower count wars that had raged all weekend. So even though it wasn’t that late, she and Jade both brushed their teeth and got ready for bed.

When they got back into bed, Tori could really only lie on her right side comfortably, and Jade held out her arm, inviting Tori to nuzzle close to her while she stayed on her back. She sighed contentedly, kissing Jade’s neck, and feeling an answering kiss on the top of her head.

She heard Jade take a couple of breaths, as if she was considering speaking, and Tori opened her eyes, waiting. Finally, Jade said, “I’m really sorry I laughed at you. When it happened, it really didn’t look like you were hurt, but now that I’ve seen you...I feel really bad.”

Tori shrugged one shoulder. “It sucked. When I came home, I kind of just wanted some comfort. Instead, I got you telling me how many videos there were on SplashFace.”

She felt Jade stiffen a little bit before she subsided, “Yeah, I still didn’t think you were hurt. And we agreed that I could laugh when hilarious things happened and you weren’t hurt. But I was kind of being a grunch about this whole thing. Like teasing you about messing up the lyrics.”

Tori cracked a smile, “No, that didn’t bother me. It was good that you made me take that seriously, because at least I can say I didn’t mess it up.”

“No, you definitely didn’t.” Jade pressed another kiss to her head.

They were quiet for a moment, and then Tori said, voice cracking a little with her exhaustion, “It was really humiliating. And yeah, that really sucked, but if it were just that, it might be funny to me eventually. But I’m also just really sore.” She closed her eyes, feeling a stupid wave of self-pity that she didn’t need in the moment.

“I didn’t know,” Jade said again, “And if you’d told me a year ago that I would _not_ be laughing about you getting dragged all over a Northridge basketball court by a giant Saint Bernard while singing the national anthem, well...I’d never have believed it.”

Tori found herself suppressing a laugh, “Okay, well, when you put it _that_ way…”

“See?!” Jade nudged her, but then she sobered. “I’m sorry I used to be such an asshole, though.” Tori thought she knew what Jade was talking about--when she’d done things like kick her out of chairs, or knock her off her own couch, or wrestle her to the ground when she hugged her. But none of those things had hurt her quite the way Jade laughing at her tonight had.

“Used to be?” Tori challenged in response, “You’re _still_ an asshole. And sometimes it’s okay. Sometimes it’s funny. Tonight, it wasn’t.”

“I get it,” Jade said quickly.

Tori thought maybe she’d milked it long enough. She squeezed Jade, “I know. And I love you.”

Jade squeezed back, tighter and longer than Tori had, “I love you, too,” she murmured, pressing kisses against Tori’s forehead until Tori lifted her head to meet her lips in a soft goodnight kiss.

In the morning when Tori’s alarm went off, she woke up spooning Jade, their bodies pressed close together. Jade grumbled and groaned at the noise of Tori’s alarm, but she didn’t seem to want to let Tori’s arm go so that she could turn it off. Tori extracted her arm and turned to snooze her alarm--just in case--and Jade’s hand was already groping for Tori’s body until she turned back and wrapped her arm around her again.

“Come on,” Tori whispered, kissing Jade’s head, “We need to get up if we want to beat Trina to the shower.”

Jade groaned in irritation at this. “No,” she said flatly.

“Yes, we do,” Tori replied patiently, “I’ll go first if you want to get a few more minutes of sleep.”

“No,” Jade repeated, holding Tori’s arm tighter.

Tori had to wrestle her arm free again, which made Jade emit one of those groans that used to be reserved for when Tori was particularly annoying her. Geez, what a grump. But as Tori grabbed some underwear to take into the bathroom with her, Jade sat up in bed, looking irritated. “Do you want to shower first?” Tori offered.

“No,” Jade said a third time.

Tori sighed, then placed her underwear on her desk and hurried downstairs. She hoped this wasn’t going to make them miss their chance to beat Trina.

Thankfully, her dad had already brewed coffee, so she took two mugs upstairs with her.

“Here,” Tori passed one to Jade, leaving the other on her desk for when she finished showering, “And we can have cereal or something after we shower.”

Jade took a long sip, watching Tori with slightly feral eyes. Tori remembered the last time she’d stayed over, and how she must’ve been on her very best behavior that morning, because this wasn’t a beast she recognized.

“I’m going to shower.”

The single sip of coffee seemed to have a profound effect, because Jade spoke in a complete sentence, “If we get ready fast enough, we can get breakfast at Jet Brew.”

“That’s what I’m _trying_ to do,” Tori raised her eyebrows at her. She picked up her undergarments, noticing as she did so that they were distinctly _not_ the way she’d left them. She frowned at Jade, who kept her eyes on her cup of coffee, and, rolling her eyes, Tori ducked into the bathroom.

She tried to take a bath the night before, really just to cry in it, until her mom had knocked to tell her that soaking in warm water wouldn’t help her bruises, so she cut it short and was in her bed before Jade had arrived. But she hadn’t washed her hair, so she still needed a shower. Tori rushed through it, though, and finished getting ready as soon as she could. She stepped back into her room in a towel with her underwear on. Modesty might help them stay on schedule.

She reached for the coffee cup on her desk to find it empty, and whirled to face Jade. “Did you drink my coffee?”

Jade peered into her cup, “Half of it,” she replied.

Tori took what remained of her coffee. “Go shower.”

“Okay, okay,” Jade rose.

By the time Jade was finished in the bathroom, Tori was dressed and ready for school, and had refilled both coffee cups. Jade had taken her clothes in with her, so she emerged dressed herself, in a tight red top and the studded black skirt she seemed to like a lot, and took the coffee cup Tori offered her.

“As soon as this is done, we can go,” Jade said, taking a long sip. She eyed Tori’s outfit. “ _Teenage Angst_ ,” she read off her shirt, “Isn’t that a mood for today. Wish it didn’t have pink on it.” Her eyes lingered on Tori’s shoulder, where the bruise was visible under the edge of her sleeve. Tori stood up from tying her shoes at her desk and pulled on a pink jacket over her shirt, and saw Jade roll her eyes affectionately. “Of course.”

“Hey, you don’t have to wear it,” Tori replied, standing up and stepping closer to her girlfriend.

Jade looked confused for a moment, and Tori realized her desire for coffee and for Tori were warring with each other. Somehow, Tori won out, which made her feel fluttery, and Jade rewarded her with a long good morning kiss.

They made it to Jet Brew with plenty of time to get breakfast and more coffee, and even with a few minutes to share some cinnamon mints and kiss lazily before heading into school.

They ran into Beck, Andre, and Robbie as they were entering the building. Tori knew her stride was a little off because her hip was sore, and Jade’s was because her thighs were still tight--though it was harder to tell, because Jade was wearing a skirt.

Apparently, Rex noticed, though, “You’re sure walking funny,” he commented.

“Yeah, what happened to you?” Robbie asked them both.

Tori rolled her eyes, “You _know_ what happened to me!” She glared at Robbie. It was enough to shut him up for a moment as she followed Jade toward her locker, the boys lingering behind them. Maybe they felt bad about the night before, too.

“Hey,” Jade looked at Robbie, “Loan me your Trigonometry book.”

Robbie looked taken aback. “Why?”

“Because I left mine at home. I stayed at Tori’s last night and I forgot to grab it.”

Tori noticed Andre’s eyes widen and Beck’s eyebrows shoot up as Robbie started, “But I need my book-- _Oh_.”

“Wait, wait,” Andre started, looking between them.

Beck chuckled, “ _Okay_.”

And Rex said, “So _that’s_ why they’re both walkin’ funny.”

Tori’s mouth dropped open, “ _No_!” she protested as the guys all exchanged scandalized and amused glances.

Jade slammed her locker, “No, Tori’s _mom_ invited me to stay over and gave me a special cream to rub on Tori,” she said, a little too gleefully.

“Okay,” Tori turned on Jade now, “You need to stop with all the weird comments about my mom. What if I went around all the time talking about how you and your mom have the same breasts?”

Andre backed away at this, and Rex went “ _Hah_!”

“ _What_?” Jade replied.

“You know, now that you mention it--” Beck started.

“Okay, _walk away_ ,” Jade snapped at the boys, then turned to Tori, “You were looking at my _mom’s breasts_? When?!”

“Well, she was across from me when we had dinner at your house!”

“You’ve been thinking about them for _weeks_?!”

“No!” Tori was abruptly mortified. Had she been?

“Have you been thinking about them when we’ve been--”

“ _NO_!” Tori’s voice pitched up an octave.

Jade was quiet for a long moment. It looked like she was centering herself. Tori didn’t know what this meant. Should she brace for something? At least when Jade was yelling, there was a clear idea of how upset she was. Silent Jade was...very scary. Finally, Jade spoke. “Okay, I’ll stop talking about your mom being a sensual dancer if you swear to me you will _never_ , _ever_ mention my mother’s breasts again.”

Tori sagged in relief. “Agreed.”

-

 _Damn_ , Tori had actually gotten the best of her with that one. It had caught Jade off-guard but also, that was a seriously solid jab. Score one for Tori. Okay, Tori had like a million points, but Jade couldn’t remember being so genuinely thrown by anything she’d ever said. At least not anything that was directed at Jade.

But they still had a day of school to get through. A day of school in which it seemed that everyone immediately knew they’d spent the night together. Jade almost wished there had been something sexy about it, because all she could really do was glare at the students who sent knowing looks her way in the halls. Though, that still worked pretty well.

By lunchtime, she and Tori both had other things on their minds. Tori had found out from Beck and Andre that talk show host Chris Burm had invited her to be on his show, to give her the opportunity to redeem herself after the dog-dragging debacle. So Tori spent the first half of lunch phoning her family and the producers of the talk show to try to get on. Jade had intended to speak to Cat’s family during the first half of lunch, but Cat’s parents weren’t answering their phones, so Jade left them a message, sighed, and went off to buy some food for herself and her girlfriend.

When Tori joined them at the lunch table, her burger was probably cold, but she didn’t seem to mind. Cat was nowhere to be found--and neither was Robbie, for that matter. Probably in Cat’s secret suite hanging out with the giant mice. But that was part of the plan, too, sort of. Robbie was supposed to help keep Cat company while Jade tried to figure out a solution that would move Cat out of the school.

“Well,” Tori reported to Andre, Beck and Jade, “They moved things around a little bit, and they want me on the Chris Burm show tonight. Kind of a strike while the iron is hot kind of thing, to have me on before I’m irrelevant. I’m going to take it.”

“That’s great,” Beck told her supportively.

“Are you ready for him, though?” Andre asked, “You know how he can be.”

Tori shrugged, “I really can’t be publicly embarrassed any further, can I?”

“You sure you don’t want me to kill Sikowitz? I could fit it into my schedule,” Jade asked again. Pretty much everyone was leaving Tori alone about the national anthem incident, except for Sikowitz, who decided to recreate it in the halls at school.

“No, it’s okay,” Tori replied grimly, “I’m redeeming myself tonight. Speaking of your schedule, think you can come with me? I’m allowed to bring a couple of people to be in the audience. Kinda had to beg for it.”

Jade sighed, “I don’t think so. I still haven’t gotten in touch with Cat’s parents so I don’t know how long this is going to take.”

Tori nodded, “I get it.” Her hand brushed over Jade’s knee under the table. Tori had expressed to her that morning in the car that she really admired how Jade was being such a good friend to Cat. Though everyone in their friend circle knew Cat was living at school by now, only Jade and Robbie were talking to Cat about it so she wouldn’t get overwhelmed. It was kind of nice that Tori was willing to let Jade focus on Cat when she had a lot going on, even though really, Jade would rather be in the audience of that chiz-head’s talk show, watching her girlfriend perform.

So it was settled that Andre and Beck would go with her to the show. Jade really hoped that she was actually able to figure out a plan for Cat that night, so that she didn’t squander an opportunity to be with Tori. But her goal had been: not another night for Cat in that room with the rope and the extension cords and the giant mice.

When she drove Tori home from school, a call on her PearPhone actually interrupted Driveway Time. And she had to take it, because it was Cat’s mom.

“Go help Cat,” Tori told her with a final kiss, “I’ll text you later.”

Karma better pay off big for this, Jade thought as she answered the phone. Not that she believed in karma.

Cat’s parents were, as usual, far too stressed out about Cat’s brother to keep track of Cat herself, especially being a time zone away. They hadn’t even heard that Cat was no longer living with her aunt and uncle, which...Jade always suspected that the hippie-dippie peace and love schtick was only partially genuine. Jade made a mental note to never trust neo-hippies. Whatever the case, Cat’s parents were out of the loop, and willing to work with Jade.

They talked through Cat’s options, and Jade made a discovery. As it turned out, Cat’s Nona had _not_ moved to Italy. She had moved to Venice, _California_.

It made Jade want to bang her head against the wall.

She got Nona’s number from Cat’s mom, and called her. No answer. She called a few more times before finally leaving a message.

Jade went inside her house and half-heartedly worked on homework, knowing that she was staying over at Tori’s the next night and being fairly certain homework would not be part of that experience at all. All the while, she kept her eye on her phone. How long could it possibly take an old woman to return a call? Didn’t old people just sit around all day?

Cat’s Nona finally called around sunset, just as Tori had texted to say she was heading to the studio where they filmed the Chris Burm show.

“Jade?” Nona sounded rather confused on the phone.

“Hi, Nona,” Jade replied flatly.

“I was so surprised by your call! I haven’t seen you since...oh, when was it?”

Jade remembered, and replied through a tight jaw, “Since the time I tried to put you in one of my movies.” Tried being the operative word. Cat’s Nona was a vivacious old woman, but unlike Cat, she couldn’t take direction to save her life.

“Oh, yes,” Nona bubbled, “Did I ever tell you about the time that I went on a date with Burt Reynolds?”

“Yes, Nona,” Jade said firmly. Only about a hundred times. Every time she saw her.

“What a man he was,” Nona said wistfully.

“So,” Jade pressed on, “I heard you moved to Venice.”

“Why, yes! Oh, it’s so nice here--”

“What would you say to Cat coming to live with you?”

“Yes, I already talked to her parents. I’d love for her to come live with me!”

Nice of Cat’s parents to tell her. “Great. I’m bringing her over tonight. What’s your address?”

“Tonight?” Nona sounded surprised, but she gave Jade her address.

“Thanks,” Jade said, “We’ll be there soon.”

“Did I ever tell you about the time--”

“ _Bye_ ,” Jade said very firmly, and hung up.

She put back on her boots, grabbed her keys, and headed back to the school to get Cat.

She found Cat and Robbie in the attic of the school, hanging out. She told Cat she was taking her to her grandmother’s house, and Cat, again, repeated that they couldn’t do that, because her grandma had moved to Italy. Jade told her that her grandma had moved to Venice, and Cat explained that she’d looked up where Venice was and knew it was in Italy.

Jade knew that if Venice had come up in the first conversation, they could’ve had this solved a whole lot sooner, so she snapped, “Venice, California. It’s _twelve_ miles from here.”

“Well, that explains why I saw her at the mall last weekend,” Cat revealed. Jade’s head almost exploded. This was why she didn’t do nice things for people.

At least Cat was happy about the prospect of living with Nona. She scampered off excitedly, leaving Jade and Robbie to start gathering up her belongings until Cat came back in, realizing she didn’t have a way to get to Venice on her own. At least all of Cat’s things would fit in Jade’s car in one trip.

Jade drove to Venice with Cat sitting up front and Robbie crammed in the back seat with all of Cat’s belongings. A look at the clock told Jade that she was missing the entirety of Tori’s performance on the Chris Burm show to do this favor. Never again, she vowed.

Her phone, clipped to her dash so she could play music, buzzed with a text. Without missing a beat, Cat leaned forward to read it.

“Cat--” Jade started angrily.

“It’s Tori,” Cat interrupted to report, “She says she thinks she just killed a man.”

“ _What_?!”

“That’s what it says,” Cat sat back with a shrug.

Okay, now Jade was _really_ pissed she’d missed the chance to be in the audience of this show.

When they made it to Nona’s, Jade made Cat and Robbie each grab an armful of things and led the way to Nona’s door. It was kind of a cute apartment complex, not that Jade would ever want to live there. She knocked, and Nona let them in, and there on the TV was Tori, singing.

Jade blinked and stared. “Is this live?” she asked Nona.

“What? Oh no, I always start my shows late so I can fast forward through the commercials,” Nona revealed. “Did I ever tell you about the time I was on a live taping of--”

“Shh!” Jade waved her hand, cutting Nona off.

“It’s her _girlfriend_ ,” Cat stage whispered to Nona.

“Oooh,” Nona replied sagely. “Did I ever--”

“Nona!” Cat interrupted, standing next to Jade to watch.

“Robbie, go get the rest of Cat’s stuff out of the car,” Jade thrust her car keys at him.

“But I want to watch--”

“ _Go!_ ’

“Okay, okay,” Robbie took the keys and walked out.

Tori was singing next to...well, that dog looked familiar. She was also wearing a bunch of pink and white and doing the cute, unselfconscious hip shakes and head bobs that she often did while performing, reminding Jade of watching her at the Platinum Music Awards and thinking she was just too genuine and goofy for what they’d been trying to mold her into. She’d been proud of her then, and she was proud of her now, catching herself just watching her and smiling. And when had she written this song?

Jade had almost forgotten about the text about killing a man, but she remembered it when she noticed that the dog next to Tori looked distinctly...not alive. Oh, that was a stuffed dog. Something was about to go down.

But before Jade could even start to guess what, a loud _boom_ interrupted Tori’s song, and with the wide angle of the stage on the screen, Jade watched as Chris Burm’s chair exploded, sending the man screaming into the sky. The music stopped, and the talk show host fell back down, landing flat on the floor right next to Tori.

In the silence that followed, Tori spoke into the microphone, “We’ll be right back,” she said, clearly shaken.

Jade whipped out her phone, finally responding to the text from Tori.

**Holy chiz, I just saw**

**What happened??**

**NO IDEA**

Later that night, once Jade was back home in her empty house, she started a video chat with Tori where she was filled in on all the wild details of the Chris Burm show incident, which all sounded insane to her. Which was something, because she’d just spent an entire evening with Cat.

“I’m bummed I missed out tonight, but,” Jade felt the smile that tugged at her face, “tomorrow’s going to be way better, anyway.”

“Oh? Big plans?” teased Tori through the laptop screen.

“Yep.”

“Like?”

“Getting into that jacuzzi.”

Tori rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. _And_?”

“What, being in a bikini with me isn’t a highlight?” Jade lifted her eyebrow.

“It’s nice,” Tori admitted with a soft smile, “But then you’re soup.”

“I can’t help what I like.”

“Huh, and I thought you liked this,” Tori gestured to herself.

“Don’t make me choose between you and that hot bubbly water, Vega.”

“Okay, well, that hot bubbly water didn’t bring you coffee this morning,” Tori pointed out.

“It also didn’t talk about my mom’s breasts at school,” Jade jabbed.

“Hey, we agreed to drop all that.”

“Fine, okay. You’re definitely a better kisser than the jacuzzi,” Jade relented.

“We can spend as long as you want in there tomorrow, but you owe me a massage for the same amount of time.”

Jade was still feeling like an ass about laughing at Tori, so she agreed. “I’ll do it. But I’m keeping track of how much you milk this.”

“I think that as long as I still have the bruises, you’re at my mercy.”

“That...actually sounds fair.”

They chatted a while longer, still teasing each other while they anticipated the next night. Finally, Jade was getting drowsy and she could tell Tori was, too. At this point, they were both lying down.

“I miss having you here,” said Tori. “I really liked waking up with you this morning. Even if you are the grumpiest person of all time.”

“Uh, it’s not like I was hiding that from you.”

“Yeah, but it’s the worst first thing in the morning.”

“Well, that’s because I hate mornings.” Really, what kind of person liked mornings? Jade didn’t trust morning people.

“And you wouldn’t let me out of bed.”

“I was comfortable.”

Tori shook her head, but fondly. “At least we can sleep in on Sunday.”

“Good. And then you’ll bring me coffee in bed.”

“Maybe you should bring _me_ the coffee this time,” Tori challenged.

“Maybe you should just put a coffee maker in the room and then no one has to go get it.”

“Yeah, my parents would really go for that.”

Jade chuckled, “It’s a coffee maker, not a flamethrower.”

They debated which appliances Tori would or wouldn’t be allowed to put in her room (it seemed like the Vegas were lax on girlfriends staying over but tight on food regulation upstairs because of Trina’s sleep-eating habits) until finally Jade must have drifted off because she blinked and Tori was sound asleep on her screen. Her own battery was at about seven percent, so she typed a message into the chat box before closing the laptop.

**Goodnight, nerd.**

**See you tomorrow.**

**Love you.**

-

Tori woke up around six in the morning to the message on her screen. She took a screencap of it before she shut the computer and rolled back over to get more sleep, a blissful smile on her face. A few hours later, she woke for real, sitting up and checking the clock. Just before ten. There was no noise coming from the bathroom, so it didn’t sound like she needed to fight with Trina for the shower, so she took the opportunity to start her day.

Things moved pretty normally for a Saturday morning at home. After she’d been up for about an hour, her mom asked if she’d help her label some of the products for her company in exchange for an extra fifty bucks. Even though Tori had her chunk of Neutronium money, this seemed like an easy way to earn extra cash, so she agreed and began sticking labels to cookies that looked suspiciously like the kind she’d accidentally taken to school that one time. She had the temptation to pocket one, so she and Jade could try the experience again, but that wasn’t something she really wanted to do at home. But maybe another time.

Meanwhile, it was pretty cool to spend some time with her mom, just one on one. Holly was telling her a bit about which products were best for what (thankfully staying away from any talk of erotic lubricants) and asking for feedback about the CBD salve she’d used the other evening.

Throughout all of it, though, Tori kept thinking about the last couple of months and everything that had resulted from becoming Jade’s girlfriend (and plenty of things that happened before that, even), and a thought just settled with her.

“Hey, Mom?” Tori asked, when there was a lull in the conversation about THC versus CBD.

“Mmhmm?”

“I think I’m, like...really gay.” It was kind of like Tori was trying it on, saying out loud, seeing how it felt.

“We picked up on that,” Holly said. “You do remember your girlfriend is coming over later?”

“Yeah,” Tori smoothed another label onto a package. “I just mean that I think I’m really into,” well, she was thinking about Jade’s boobs and that wasn’t something she wanted to say out loud. “Uh, girls.”

“Again, your girlfriend. Coming over. Later.” Holly eyed what Tori had been handling. “You’re not getting a contact high, are you?”

“Is that even possible?” Tori asked, looking at the plastic wrapped cookies.

“I don’t think so, but you’re being weird. Honey, we accept and support you and Jade, you know that, right?”

Tori nodded. “You guys are really cool about it, actually.” She knew there were a million ways all of this could have played out and her family (barring Trina) hadn’t batted an eye.

“We’re just doing our best,” Holly admitted. “Though, this really wasn’t a surprise. You caught your dad and I off guard at first, but given that you’ve been dating Jade for what, a month--”

“Two months,” Tori corrected.

“Two months,” her mom amended with a little smile, “And we’ve seen her _far_ more and know her much better than any of your previous boyfriends. It’s not a surprise to find out that you have stronger feelings for her.”

Well, that was true. She and Danny had been young, and most of their relationship played out at school as a result. And she’d actually barely spent any time with Steven since he spent half his life in Seattle with his second secret girlfriend. And she certainly had never fallen in love with either of them--even though she and Danny had used that word, too soon, too frivolously. Nor had she ever been so excited to do anything with them beyond kissing.

Her mom was still talking, “Whatever you want to call yourself is fine with us.”

“Okay,” Tori smiled, “Thanks, Mom.” She bumped Holly with her hip, since she was the one wearing gloves and handling the raw product.

“Want me to call Patrice?” Holly asked.

“No, that’s okay,” Tori replied, blushing.

By the time all the product was labeled, Tori was due to go out with Andre for the afternoon. He’d received an invitation to sit on a recording session at RPX Records and Tori was his plus one. She was excited to see how RPX differed from Neutronium, especially since Shawn Quincy seemed like a much nicer producer than Mason Thornesmith.

The session wasn’t for anyone who was famous or anything, it was a new singer, Shae Sweet, who seemed to be about their age. She had an amazing voice and was also gorgeous, so it was inevitable that when the recording session ended and she asked Andre if he wanted to meet up later, he was practically tripping over himself to say yes.

He dropped Tori back off at home around six so he could turn right back around and get ready for his date with Shae. Tori didn’t mind the sort-of brush-off because she’d been looking forward to her own evening all week. When she opened the door to the house, she saw her family and Jade sitting around the poker table.

“Hey,” she said, dropping her purse on the couch as she crossed toward the kitchen. “What’s going on here?”

“Well, your dad’s losing. And I’m winning all these jelly beans.” Jade took Tori’s hand, scooped up a handful of the candy and dropped the colored beans into Tori’s palm. “Why don’t you go buy yourself something nice.”

“Wow, I don’t know if I can accept this,” Tori deadpanned, staring down at the sticky candy. “It’s too generous.”

“Are we playing or what?” asked Trina, impatiently shuffling the cards.

“I’m out,” David said, tossing the few remaining jelly beans he had into the pot.

“I should probably order dinner. Jade, you eat meat, right?” Holly asked.

“Sure do,” Jade said.

Trina, irritated that the game had been halted, rolled her eyes and slammed the deck of cards onto the table. “Thanks a lot, Tori.”

“What’d I do?”

Jade stood and put a hand on Tori’s shoulder, possibly a preemptive move to keep her from lunging at her sister. “She’s just mad because she was hoping to make a comeback.”

“Sorry to spoil your winning streak,” Tori dropped the jelly beans back onto Jade’s pile.

“Eh, it’s okay. You’re almost as fun as winning.”

“Yeah, I’m quite the consolation prize,” she reached for Jade’s hand.

They headed upstairs as Tori’s mom called after them that dinner should arrive in about thirty minutes. Once in Tori’s room, Jade ducked into the bathroom to wash all the jelly bean residue off her hands, Tori picked up her PearBook and took it onto the bed with her. By the time Jade joined her on the bed, Tori had typed in her password, and was letting the computer wake back up.

She felt Jade’s hand on her jaw, turning her head to meet her lips in a kiss. Tori let her eyes slip closed, about to get lost in the kiss, when her computer beeped with an email notification.

They both turned to look at the notification, which Tori couldn’t even really blame Jade for, since they’d both been conditioned by years of owning Pear products to respond. But that meant that Jade had to have seen the email notification before Tori could move to click it away.

**Kline, Patrice**

**RE: Website Submission**

**Hi, Tori(...)**

**(click to read)**

“Patrice, huh?” Jade asked, her voice somewhere between amused and suspicious. “Aren’t you going to read it?”

“It’s...kinda personal,” Tori replied.

Jade eyed her for a second. “Okay, so...I’m going to take off my boots and you can...read your email.” She shifted to turn away and unlace her boots, but Tori knew she was fast at it, so she quickly clicked open the message.

**Hi, Tori**

**Sorry for my delayed response. I was at a conference. I hope this arrives in time to still be useful to you.**

**Body hair is personal, and like any hair, how you wear it is entirely up to you. What’s important is that it makes you feel comfortable and confident.**

**If you’re still concerned about your partner’s expectations, you should have a conversation about it. Your partner might have preferences, which you can certainly consider, but ultimately, the decision is yours. It’s your body, and what you do with it is always your choice.**

**Sincerely yours,**

**Patrice**

That was...well, Tori guessed it was what she should have anticipated Patrice would say. Why weren’t there ever clear answers to this kind of stuff? The thought of talking to Jade about this was...well, nerve wracking. But shouldn’t she be able to, if they were going to be...encountering this kind of thing, probably soon?

She glanced over to see that Jade was sitting there, apparently finished with her boots, face turned away but eyes absolutely creeping toward Tori’s screen. She just couldn’t help herself, and Tori couldn’t really blame her. They’d already had the weirdness about their moms this week, and she remembered Jade had definitely asked her whether she was attracted to Patrice.

“You can look at it, if you want,” Tori told her.

Jade looked at her instead, as if searching her face for sincerity, and then she turned toward the screen, Tori blushing brighter and brighter as she reread the email, imagining what was going on in Jade’s head.

Jade sat back a little. “Yeah, that was personal, all right.”

“I told you.” Tori closed the window. “But, I guess...I mean...I was worried about…”

“You’re fine,” Jade assured quickly, “I’ve seen you in a swimsuit, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“I...okay, that’s good.” Tori pulled up SplashFace, the entire reason she’d brought over her computer to begin with, so they could find ridiculous videos to show each other until dinner arrived.

Her mom had ordered pizza, so it wasn’t any kind of formal family dinner. Her parents ate at the table while all three girls watched _Prank Police_ (the one thing both Trina and Jade could agree on) on the living room television. When the show ended, Trina disappeared back upstairs, Jade made a move to claim the DVD player. She’d found out earlier that week that Tori had never seen the original _Carrie_ , so it was clearly going to be the movie of the night.

As the movie began, Tori was glad her parents had decided to go out on the patio to drink wine together, because the opening segment was all about mean, nude teenage girls throwing tampons and pads at poor Carrie, chanting, “plug it up!” It had been bad enough being pressed against Jade and blushing furiously while a bunch of young women pranced around a locker room topless, before the cruelty began.

Though, Tori’s parents did come through about ten minutes later to refill their glasses and her mom said, “Oh my god! _Carrie_! I haven’t seen this in years.”

“Want me to restart it?” Jade offered. Tori nudged her hard with her elbow, back to blushing again.

“No, that’s okay,” Holly replied, “I haven’t seen it since I had kids, and I think it’d be harder to enjoy now.” Still, she hovered just long enough to make Tori self-conscious about how closely she was snuggling with Jade and then both her parents finally headed back outside. Tori hoped they weren’t planning to monopolize the jacuzzi.

Fortunately, toward the end of the film, when Carrie was raining down all her vengeance, she noticed they went upstairs and, as the credits rolled, she asked, “So, have you decided how long of a massage I’m getting later?”

“Is this your weird way of telling me it’s finally jacuzzi time?”

“Unless you don’t want--”

Jade poked her in the side. “How dare you even suggest that.”

They hurried upstairs to change. As Jade dug into her bag for her bathing suit, she pulled out a t-shirt and passed it to Tori. “Here.”

Tori reached for it, “What is it?”

“It’s a shirt,” Jade replied unnecessarily, making Tori roll her eyes slightly, “To replace the one I’m borrowing.”

“Or...you could give back the one you’re borrowing?” Tori suggested. Not that she really missed that shirt.

“No,” Jade said flatly, “Besides, this shirt doesn’t fit my boobs.”

It was kind of a cool shirt. Gray, with two figures holding old-fashioned cameras on it. It was a shirt Tori might actually wear, more so than the t-shirt from her old school. “Alright, I accept your trade,” she agreed.

“Good,” Jade smirked, carrying her swimsuit into the bathroom.

Tori quickly pulled on her bikini next to her closet. The idea that maybe, sometime in the not-so-far future, they might actually see each other without their clothes on popped into Tori’s head and she was still fixated on it when Jade exited the bathroom in her bikini.

“Ready,” she croaked, trying to shake the illicit thoughts she was having.

“What’s with you?” Jade asked, eyebrow lifted.

“Nothing,” Tori said, quickly.

Jade was still smirking a little as they left Tori’s bedroom and headed down to the jacuzzi. Once outside, Jade slipped right into the jacuzzi while Tori went over to the nearby table to turn on the radio, dialing into the Spanish language station they’d listened to the week they couldn’t use their phones.

“Not really setting the mood for being soup,” Jade commented.

“Just pretend that Latina witches are cooking you,” Tori told her, stepping into the jacuzzi. Really, she liked that Jade had her witch brew thing, but she was hoping to set the mood for something a little more enjoyable for both of them.

Jade tipped her head to the side thoughtfully, looking especially elegant with her eyes closed and her hair up, “Latina witches could work,” she admitted.

“And here I was kind of hoping I was the only Latina witch for you.” Tori said sarcastically, floating closer to Jade and settling next to her.

Jade snorted, “You're not a witch.”

“You don’t know what I do when you’re not around.”

“You are ridiculous and you’re ruining my soup experience.” But she did lean over to place a reassuring kiss on Tori’s cheek, without even opening her eyes. Tori thought that might legitimately be witchcraft.

She let Jade pretend to be soup for a few minutes, poking around on her PearPhone. She’d left it and her towel close to the edge of the jacuzzi, figuring she might have to entertain herself for a few minutes while Jade did her weird ritual. But when a particularly upbeat song started playing on the radio, Tori decided Jade had pretended to be soup for long enough.

“Would you rather...” she started, scrolling through a website full of questions, trying to find a good one for Jade. Beside her, Jade opened one eye, regarding her curiously. Some of these questions Tori already had a pretty good idea of how Jade would answer, and she landed on one just to ask something, “uh, lose the ability to hear or lose the ability to walk?”

Jade closed her eye again, “Walk, I think. It’d be harder to make the kind of movies I want to make if I couldn’t hear.”

“Yeah, same. Music would be much harder. I’m not Beethoven,” Tori agreed. She held out her phone to Jade, “Do you want to pick one?”

Jade looked at it, “Tori, seriously? How many times did you drop your old phone in the toilet?”

“It’s okay. The XT is waterproof.”

“It’s water- _resistant_ ,” Jade corrected.

“It’s _fine_ ,” Tori insisted.

“I’m not touching it,” Jade replied, “You can pick another one.”

“Okay,” Tori scrolled through the questions. Ugh, there was nothing good. “Would you rather,” she thought fast, “compulsively dance to or sing along with any song that you hear?”

Jade looked at her askance, “How are you going to answer this one? You already do both.”

Tori poked her in the side, “I do not.”

“Sing, I guess,” Jade replied, “Seems like it would be easier to discreetly sing than to discreetly dance, you know, to avoid public humiliation.”

“Fair,” Tori nodded. She kept scrolling. “Oh, here we go. Would you rather only be able to watch the few movies on Rotten Tomatoes with a score above 95% or only the ones with a score below 94%?”

Jade scowled, “Rotten Tomatoes is garbage, they gave _The Scissoring_ a 69%.” She sighed heavily, “Though sometimes they’re right about the really good stuff. But I’m not living in a world where I can’t watch _The Scissoring_. So I’ll only watch the bad movies. And I’ll go spam the good ones with lousy ratings to force the percentage down so I can watch them.”

“That’s...kinda outside the scope of the question, but I’ll allow it,” Tori smiled. “And I agree with you, by the way. I’d rather be able to watch a lot of fun stuff than just what other people consider high art.” Jade settled back, closing her eyes with a contented smile. Tori scrolled to find another one. “Okay, would you rather know exactly how above or below average you are at any skill, or know exactly how above or below average everyone else is at any skill?”

“What is ‘any skill,’ like am I picking one thing, or does it mean everything?” Jade’s eyes remained closed.

“I...don’t know.” Tori had paraphrased the question and had already scrolled away from it, so she didn’t know if the actual wording was clearer. “Let’s just say everything.”

“Everyone else. I already know I’m good at everything.” And now she was smirking.

Tori put her phone down. “Okay, would you rather pretend to be witch’s soup, or make out with your girlfriend?” she asked, moving closer, letting her hand slide over Jade’s stomach to grip her side.

Jade brow furrowed, “I don’t know, that’s a really hard one.”

Tori decided for her when she started kissing her way up Jade’s pale, elegant neck, and by the time she’d reached Jade’s jaw, her head was tilting to meet Tori’s lips with her own.

The kisses themselves stayed pretty tame, given that Tori’s entire family was home, but under the water, hands were wandering a bit. Even that was more teasing than anything else; Tori let her hands run over Jade’s thighs, marveling at how smooth they felt in the water, ran fingertips down her sides. She felt Jade grasping at her hip, an indication of her emotional state that contrasted with the slow kisses they were sharing.

Before anything could escalate further--not that Tori really thought it would, under the circumstances--she snuggled close to Jade, resting her head next to hers on the edge of the jacuzzi. She let her fingers continue to trail over Jade’s legs, feeling Jade’s arm around her, and Jade’s hand running over her ribs and her side.

They got out before too much longer, and headed upstairs. Tori let Jade take the first shower, which didn’t really take that long since neither of them got their hair wet. Jade emerged from the bathroom in a tank top and shorts, letting her hair down and shaking it out as she entered the room. Tori was already staring at the way the tight shirt fit Jade, and that didn’t help. She hurried to take her own shower.

When she came back out, Jade was lounging on her bed, looking at her phone. She set it aside as Tori came out of the bathroom, dressed in her own tank top and shorts for bed, and eyed Tori in an appraising way that made Tori stand a little taller.

“Okay,” Tori said, moving over to perch on the edge of the bed. “So we spent exactly twenty-seven minutes in the jacuzzi, which means you owe me twenty-seven minutes of rubbing. So, start with my shoulders. They’re _so_ tense.” She shifted to sit cross-legged on her bed, back to Jade.

Jade groaned, “Seriously?”

Tori looked at her over her shoulder, “We agreed, didn’t we?”

Jade huffed, but moved closer. “Fine,” she said, putting her hands on Tori’s shoulders and starting the most half-hearted massage Tori could imagine.

Tori closed her eyes and let Jade get away with it for the first few moments before she reached up to touch one of Jade’s hands. “I need you to go harder here,” she said, letting her voice go low and breathy.

It seemed to work. Jade stopped entirely for a moment, and then continued her movements, but more purposefully. Tori sighed contentedly.

“Can we at least put some music on or something so it’s not creepily quiet in here?” Jade finally asked. Tori picked up her PearPhone and scrolled to the daily hits playlist. She wondered if Jade just wanted an easy way to keep track of the time. Which, if that was the case, she didn’t even last two full songs before asking, “Do I have to keep doing this?”

After Tori had been dog-dragged, Jade had been so gentle and attentive. Now it was almost like Jade knew Tori was feeling much better and, therefore, was back to being a pain-in-the-ass.

Which Tori expected might happen. “I guess you could stop, but then I get to leave a hickey for every...three minutes left on the clock.” A glance at the time and some quick math meant, “So, if you let me leave three hickies, wherever I want, you can stop.”

“How did this become a negotiation?”

“You can rub me or face the consequences,” Tori said, turning and sitting on her knees as she faced Jade. She was really having fun with this.

“Fine. But not on the neck.”

“Uh, what part of wherever I wa--”

“I mean,” Jade shrugged, “do what you want, but when I go downstairs tomorrow morning with bruises on my neck and your dad asks--”

“Okay, okay, I get your point.” Tori waved her hand at the pillows behind Jade. “This will be easier if you’re lying down.”

“What is up with you tonight?” Jade asked, though her question didn’t stop her from leaning back and getting comfortable.

“I’ve had a long week,” Tori replied, settling next to Jade and tracing her fingers over the exposed skin of Jade’s chest, tugging down on the top edge of the tank top and kissing a spot that would otherwise be covered, then began her mission. When she felt she’d left a decent mark behind (with some encouragement in the form of Jade’s fingers tangled in her hair), she shifted to the other side, leaving a pair of reddened patches on Jade’s chest. But where to put number three?

And then, as if Jade was reading her mind, she said, “Just remember you’ll have to explain anything visible to Papa Vega.”

All right. If she couldn’t go up, she’d go down. Tori tugged at the bottom of Jade’s shirt, exposing her stomach and surveyed the expanse of smooth skin. This wasn’t really territory they’d explored, not quite like this. She kissed a spot above Jade’s belly button, making Jade jump, slightly. Tori liked having the power to make Jade react like this, an involuntary shiver that just fueled the moment. She grinned against Jade’s skin, then drifted higher, mindful that her parents were still up and she didn’t want to accidentally escalate something. Even this, just pressing her lips just below the ribs, seemed like an invitation to start something she absolutely would not want to be interrupted by anyone walking in. You know, she should probably hurry up. Jade’s hand was still wrapped in Tori’s hair, fingers tightening as Tori settled on the last location of her negotiated hickey.

Jade’s back flexed when Tori sucked and nipped at her skin. “Holy _chiz_ , Tori,” she groaned. Her fingers loosened as Tori lifted her head after a final kiss to the spot. Jade didn’t seem inclined to move, collecting herself, and Tori tugged her tank top back down her body.

“Sit up,” Tori said.

Instead, Jade sagged into the mattress with a groan, “Whaaaaat?” she whined, “What now?”

“Just _sit up_ ,” Tori started coaxing her up.

Jade sat up, and Tori settled behind her. Jade watched her over her shoulder warily, but faced forward with a groan as Tori began to apply gentle pressure to her shoulders in a massage.

-

Tori was _really_ milking this dog-dragging thing. At least, that’s what Jade had been thinking before Tori started massaging her shoulders, and then all thought left her.

She hadn’t known quite what to make of Tori bossing her around since they got out of the jacuzzi. Or before that, really, when she’d made Jade negotiate for time in the jacuzzi in the first place. It was new and a little weird, but Jade had been mostly okay with it, especially when there was something in it for her. Like the hickeys. And, okay, even though giving a massage wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world, touching Tori and listening to her contented exhales hadn’t been _terrible_.

It didn’t compare to what was happening now, though, as Jade tried to stifle her most pornographic-sounding moans as Tori worked the knots in her tight shoulders. Okay, if Tori was going to give her massages more regularly, she might consider letting her boss her around a little more often. When Tori’s hands finally gave their last squeeze and she felt Tori’s lips on her neck, Jade briefly considered offering up some other exchange for more shoulder massage time. But then Tori was already off the bed and grabbing for her PearBook.

“You want to watch something for a while? My parents will probably go to bed in an hour or so.”

“And then what?” Jade asked. She had a pretty good idea of exactly what, but she wanted to know what Tori would say.

“And _then_ ,” Tori set the computer on the bed and scooted back toward Jade, “we won’t have to worry about anyone walking on us.”

Jade still didn’t trust that Trina wouldn’t burst right into the room at two in the morning, demanding to borrow Tori’s phone charger or something, but she was willing to take the risk. She could face off with Trina, if she had to, but Tori’s parents were a different story. They liked Jade and she wanted to keep it that way.

“So...what are we doing for the next hour that’s family friendly?”

“I thought maybe you could show me another one of your movies,” Tori suggested, opening her laptop.

Wow, now an ego stroke after the shoulder rub? “Really?” Jade wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity, but she did wonder if Tori really liked her work as much as she seemed to.

“Yes.” Tori handed off the computer. At Jade’s questioning look, she said, “It helps me understand your dark, twisted brain.” She rubbed her hand over Jade’s head.

Jade batted Tori’s hand away so she could focus on opening up her SplashFace account. She pulled up a ten minute piece about a young hitchhiking couple that’s picked up on the side of the road, only to ask the driver to drop them at an address that was a cemetery. It was an older film from a couple of years ago and it was something she knew she had the skills to do better now, but watching Tori react to it for the first time gave Jade a little more faith in the project as it was.

“Okay, so that killed fifteen minutes,” Jade said, when it was over.

Tori moved the laptop off the bed, then turned back to her girlfriend. “Would you rather someone walked in while I was kissing you or you were kissing me?"

“Uh, I would rather _no one_ walked in. And, aren’t those both the same? As far as the shock factor?”

“Well,” Tori said, twisting her fingers in the front of Jade’s shirt and pulling her forward. Her lips captured Jade’s and then her hands were on either side of Jade’s face, deepening the kiss, Tori’s tongue sweeping against her own. When Tori pulled back, Jade blinked a few times as she drew in a deep breath. “Your turn,” said Tori.

Oh, yeah. Okay. She wanted some kind of kiss competition? Jade’s eyes were on Tori’s mouth as she closed the space between them, letting their lips brush but just teasing. When Tori chased after her mouth, Jade shook her head. “Nuh uh, _I’m_ kissing _you_ , remember?” She waited just a moment more before letting their lips meet, for real, this time. Her hand found the back of Tori’s neck, her tongue dragged over Tori’s bottom lip before pushing past it. When she finally broke the kiss, she watched Tori, her eyes half-lidded and her cheeks pink. “Too close to call. I think we need more research.”

Tori took the invitation, leaning forward to connect their mouths again. It quickly grew heated, Tori’s hand sliding up Jade’s side to her breast, whimpering into the kiss as her hand curved over it. Jade pushed closer, letting a hand slip beneath the hem of Tori’s shirt, sliding over the warm flesh of her lower back.

They kissed like they were still playing a little, like it was still a contest, as they chased each other’s mouths and pulled back to tease one another. Tori leaned closer, placing her hand very deliberately on Jade’s upper leg--or, at least, that’s how it felt to Jade, as Tori’s hand gripped and then ran gentle fingers over her inner thigh. Jade tugged at Tori, trying to pull her closer, her other hand gradually lifting Tori’s tank top to access more skin.

Tori ended up half on Jade’s lap, their kisses unceasing even though they probably needed to untangle their bodies. Jade was just trying to figure out how she could go from here to getting Tori on her back when they heard the sound of a door, and Trina singing in the adjacent bathroom.

The mood was shattered, and Tori slid off of Jade’s lap quickly, tumbling onto the bed and righting herself while Jade smoothed her shirt and her hair and eyed the bathroom door warily. It was so easy to forget that Tori’s whole family was awake and had rules about people walking in when Tori was kissing her like that.

“Okay…” Tori said slowly, “Maybe we need to settle down for a minute.”

“Sorry,” Jade said insincerely, “But I like kissing you.”

Tori stretched out against the pillows and crossed her ankles, looking like someone trying to act innocent when Jade knew she was probably counting down to the next moment she could cop a feel. “Is _that_ why you suggested it in the library?”

Jade chuckled as she rolled onto her side, one hand propped under her head. “Uh, _you’re_ the one who brought up kissing in the first place.” She still remembered that afternoon with a clarity she didn’t quite understand, given that they’d been high on Holly’s special cookie.

“You offered it up pretty quickly.”

“And you went for it, like, immediately,” Jade said, recalling the moment when Tori had leaned in and kissed her that first time. It was incredibly chaste given what they’d gotten into since then (had that really only been five months ago?) but, at the time, it had felt like they were tempting something dangerous. Sure, Jade had offered it because of the game they were playing and it had been true that it wasn’t a big deal. Except that something in it had led them to here, this moment, in Tori’s room, where they were girlfriends waiting for the chance to basically jump each other’s bones. So...maybe it had actually been kind of a big freakin’ deal.

“Yeah, well,” Tori shrugged. “When the hottest girl in school says you can kiss her, you kiss her.”

“Wait…” Jade sat up. “You thought that _then_?” It wasn’t shocking, in theory; Jade knew how she looked and how people viewed her. But to hear Tori say it, that was a little different. “Just how long were you lusting after me?”

“I wasn’t _lusting_ ,” Tori shoved a pillow at her. “I just...you know, have eyes.”

This was an interesting development. Jade knew Tori was attracted to her, obviously, but now she wanted to know how far back that attraction reached. “So you were just ogling me, then.”

“I wasn’t _ogling_!” Tori also drew herself up, now sitting cross-legged across from Jade. “I just...at one point...realized I kind of liked you.”

“Before the library?” Jade needed an accurate timeline.

Tori nodded. “Like, _way_ before the library.”

“Wait,” now Jade was intrigued. “So, when?” But Tori just smirked at her. “Christmas?” That had certainly been memorable for Jade, having to be Tori’s Secret Santa. Not to mention dancing in those weirdly risque outfits with Cat.

Tori laughed. “Nope. Not even close.”

Huh. Okay, so further back. “The trip to Yerba?” Jade asked, knowing she’d definitely gained respect for Tori after seeing how she handled life in prison. Also, what a weird moment in their history. They’d literally been in a foreign prison together.

Tori shook her head. “I was pretty much worried we might all die there, so I wasn’t that focused on you.”

“Am I at least close?” Jade really hated guessing games when she didn’t have a clear advantage.

“I mean, I guess you’re closer than you were before.”

“Kesha?”

“Nope.”

“I give up.”

“Then I guess you’ll never know.”

“ _Tori_ ,” Jade whined. “It’s important for us to know the history of our relationship.” She was sure there had to be something about this kind of communication in all those pamphlets and brochures Patrice had provided.

“If I tell you, will you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“Why you said I could kiss you in the first place.” Tori really was adamant about this.

But Jade still didn’t think there was anything to tell. “You know why.”

“Yeah, no. You don’t just offer to let someone kiss you if there’s not, like...something.”

“I had a boyfriend!”

Tori shrugged and leaned back again, hands behind her head. “Then I guess it’s all a big mystery.”

Jade knew that if she let it sit and pretended she didn’t care, Tori would probably explode with information at some point. But Jade was impatient and she wanted to know, now. “ _Fine_. Tell me and then I’ll tell you.”

That was apparently all Tori needed. “It was when we put up your play,” she said, like it was the most casual thing in the world to reveal that _over a year ago_ , Tori had some kind of feelings about her. “You actually let me hang out with you and...it was cool to see you create something.”

“You’ve liked me for _that long_?” Jade asked, quietly.

“Well, no. I mean, I did but then I made myself not like you because...well, you were still pretty mean most of the time. And, like, I knew it was kind of a crush but I also wasn’t really sure what that even meant for me. So I settled on just trying to be friends with you.”

For as much as Jade had gotten an ego boost from what Tori had said moments before, this took the energy out of it. “That...sounds accurate,” she admitted. She’d been dragging her feet about revealing any of her motivation that led up to that library kiss, but now she felt compelled to offer something up. “I know what you mean...about seeing someone create. When you took over for Dale Squires, it was...well, let’s just say you really knew how to handle that set and you’re a pretty good director.” But even that wasn’t the answer to the question about why she’d invited Tori to kiss her. “To be honest, I’m not sure why I suggested the kiss...I just wanted to see what would happen.”

There was a quiet lull as Jade was lost in her own head, reflecting on what she’d just told Tori. It was broken by a soft knock at the door and Tori saying, “Come in.”

“Hey girls,” it was Holly. She opened the door just enough to pop her head in. “We’re going to bed. Have a good night.”

“Goodnight, Mom.”

“Night, Holly,” said Jade.

It seemed like a cue to get under the covers once the door closed, Tori rearranging her pillows so she could lie on her side, facing Jade. “Well, you did kiss me--”

“ _You_ kissed _me_ ,” Jade corrected, mirroring Tori’s positioning in the bed.

“ _We_ kissed,” decided Tori, “and now we’re here.” She found Jade’s hand and pulled it close to her chest. “Anyway, goodnight,” she said, closing her eyes.

Jade’s mouth dropped open and she shook the hand Tori was holding, shaking Tori. “You are _not_ going to sleep. You’re still wearing your glasses. And the lights are still on!”

Tori opened one eye, “Then someone had better turn them off, hmm?”

Jade glared in response as Tori settled, eyes closed once again. Fine, but only because she wanted to. They couldn’t sleep with the lights on, but she also didn’t want to do...other things with the lights on. She got out of bed and crossed the room to hit the switch, leaving everything dim from the faint light coming through the window, plus the various small things glowing around the room like Tori’s PearBook charger and the digital clock. When she settled back under the covers next to Tori, her glasses were off, and she was snuggled down, looking peaceful with her eyes closed, and completely ignoring Jade’s return to bed.

Jade wasn’t about to be ignored. She found Tori’s hand under the covers, squeezing it, and letting her fingers trail up Tori’s arm to her shoulder. No reaction beyond a twitch of Tori’s lips. Jade let her fingers follow the slope of shoulder down along ribs and waist, watching Tori’s lips part, just slightly, and then she very deliberately poked Tori in the side.

Tori squeaked, but stifled it, grabbing Jade’s hand. They struggled briefly, Jade trying to land a few more pokes at Tori, but then Tori tugged her by her wrist, and Jade followed the momentum to end up sprawled across Tori, both meeting each other’s lips for a kiss without any further thought.

Jade let her hands gentle, soothing Tori beneath her so that she stopped twitching in anticipation of being tickled every second, waiting until she felt Tori’s body relax before letting her hands roam. She slipped her hand into Tori’s shirt, tugging the tank top up and smoothing over her skin, Tori wriggling beneath her to try to help the tank top lift. But then Tori stopped, and Jade heard it, too. Trina’s door, and water running in the bathroom.

She rolled off of Tori, so they were facing each other again. They didn’t stop kissing, but they slowed, listening carefully until it was clear that Trina had gone back into her room. Tori surged forward as soon as it was apparent the coast was clear, and Jade drew her close with an arm around her body, running her hand over the skin of her lower back and letting it follow the curve of her ass, over her shorts to the skin of Tori’s thigh, letting her fingers tuck just under the leg of Tori’s shorts.

Apparently not to be outdone, Tori’s hand shifted from Jade’s breast to planting itself firmly on her ass, using the leverage to pull their hips closer. Jade let their legs entangle, Tori’s leg draping itself over her thigh, and continued running her fingers along Tori’s upper leg, teasing at the skin just out of reach under clothes.

Tori’s hand was busy hiking up Jade’s tank top. The tighter fit meant that it was harder, and Jade did what she could to lift her torso to help, until Tori’s hand just slipped under the garment to grasp a handful of Jade’s breast, fingers curling over her nipple as the hand slowly closed against Jade’s flesh. Jade stifled a whimper against Tori’s lips, listening hard for any sounds in the silent house and knowing she had to stay quiet. Tori parted their lips just long enough to let out a little gasp, probably at just how high Jade’s hand was traveling up into her shorts--not anywhere high enough to touch anything more exciting than the curve of her hip, but Jade relished the sound Tori made anyway.

They kissed like that for a long time, and Jade didn’t know when their hands had basically switched places, but she was working to lift Tori’s tank top, trying to get at her breasts, and Tori had lowered the leg that was slung over Jade’s hip to let her fingers run all over the area of Jade’s shorts. Jade felt like she might melt into a pool of desire as she felt Tori’s fingers run under the waistband of her shorts, starting at her lower back and tracing along and over her hip bone, stopping at the tender flesh just before things got interesting, then her hand slid down to the back of Jade’s thigh, running a hint of fingernails along the sensitive skin there, and finishing the whole maneuver with a palm over Jade’s ass. Jade didn’t know how she stayed quiet, but she must’ve. Her lips being rather occupied kissing Tori must’ve been the reason.

Which, now Tori was gently biting Jade’s bottom lip, and Jade couldn’t suppress a soft moan at that as Tori pulled away.

They paused for a moment, Jade seeing Tori’s eyes moving in the dark, then meeting Jade’s. “I think everyone is asleep,” Tori said quietly, her hand now smoothing up the exposed skin of Jade’s side, running back down along her back.

“Guess that means we should turn in.” Jade exaggerated a fake yawn. “Good night.” She closed her eyes and settled against her pillow, still half wrapped up in Tori, holding a hand to her chest.

“I don’t think so,” Tori hissed, hand prodding at Jade’s boobs. Jade continued to feign sleep until Tori practically growled, “I’m not done with you yet.”

Jade opened her eyes, eyebrow lifting, “Done with me how?”

In answer, Tori shifted Jade onto her back and got on top of her, sheets bunching around them as she moved. They took a brief moment to adjust everything, and Tori stared down at Jade with a feral, hungry expression.

Jade liked it.

Tori’s hands were moving to lift Jade’s tank top again, and this time, she pulled it above Jade’s breasts, her hands settling on them with a slow patience that didn’t match anything else about the moment. Jade pulled at Tori’s tank top, wanting to feel their skin together, but also keenly aware that no clothes should actually come off with the minute chance that they could still be interrupted. With both their shirts hiked up above their chests, Tori leaned down to press kisses on Jade’s breasts, starting with her lips on each of the two hickeys she’d left earlier and then capturing a nipple, laving her tongue over it. Jade grabbed a fistful of Tori’s hair, encouraging her attention while she focused on staying quiet.

-

Tori focused her attention on Jade’s breasts, letting herself consider what came next as one hand wandered down Jade’s body to her leg, sliding up her thigh and into her shorts again. They’d both been teasing at this, and Tori was wondering what Jade wanted, and what, exactly, _she_ wanted, on this night where they were reasonably alone in Tori’s bed.

But Jade was reaching between their bodies, fingers pressing between Tori’s legs, over her shorts. Tori gasped, letting herself roll off to the side to give Jade better access, and to take advantage of the position to reach between Jade’s legs, mimicking her movements over Jade’s sleep shorts.

She watched with satisfaction as Jade’s lips parted and her head tilted back as Tori moved her hand between her legs. She felt Jade touching her, too, but somehow, touching Jade seemed so much more important right now, and she focused her energy there, pressing kisses against Jade’s shoulder, the only skin she could reach with her lips.

Until Jade stopped her with her other hand. Tori’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

Jade shook her head, moving Tori’s hand up, “This might work better if you…” she trailed off, as she guided Tori’s hand into her shorts, withdrawing her own hand and leaving Tori’s right where her fingertips dipped beneath Jade’s panties. A breath, then, “If you want to,” Jade said very softly.

Tori wanted to. Oh, Tori _wanted_ to, but it was as if everything short-circuited for a moment, and she didn’t even think she was remembering to breathe as all she was aware of was that her fingertips were in brand new territory, and there was more there waiting for her, if she could just remember how to move. Finally, she wet her lips and spoke. “I want to,” she confirmed, and pushed her hand further down Jade’s body.

She held back a groan as her fingers were met with wetness, disoriented by the sensation, the soft flesh, the realization that _she was touching Jade West_.

Jade’s hand between Tori’s legs had gone completely still. Everything about her was still, her eyes on the ceiling, lip between her teeth. Tori moved her fingers, searching the flesh beneath them, trying to orient herself in all the soft and warm and wet, watching Jade for clues. Jade jumped slightly at something, and Tori swirled back over the spot, realizing both from the hiss of air and the sensation under the pad of her finger that she had located Jade’s clitoris (according to what she’d read in the literature).

More sure of herself now, Tori lifted herself up, straddling Jade’s leg again, trying to get more leverage with her hand. She leaned over Jade’s body, pressing kisses to her neck, moving her fingers back and forth, in swirling circles, trying to find what produced the strongest reaction in Jade.

Jade, meanwhile, seemed to remember that she had been trying to touch Tori, too. Tori felt Jade’s hand at her shorts, but the angle of their bodies prevented Jade from accessing anything. “I can’t touch you,” Jade moaned quietly.

“That’s okay,” Tori assured. She was too focused on touching Jade to worry about anything else.

Jade let out a frustrated breath, and then Tori felt Jade’s thigh angle upward and press itself very firmly between Tori’s legs. Tori gasped at the sensation, hips already moving automatically to grind against the offered thigh, and Jade tilted her head to catch Tori’s mouth with her own.

Tori’s fingers slipped clumsily over Jade’s flesh, losing her way more than once and having to reorient herself. Everything was _so wet,_ and it made Tori curious, made her want to touch more. She lifted her mouth from Jade’s, looking down at her, her pale flesh pink in the moonlight from the window, her lips parted as eager breaths lifted her chest against Tori’s.

“I want to try something,” Tori spoke softly, seeking permission, hoping Jade understood what she was asking.

Jade nodded faintly, “You should do it,” she husked, the need in her voice seeming to fill Tori’s body to the brim.

Heart pounding, Tori paused the motion of her hips against Jade’s thigh, long enough to press her fingers down lower, searching and teasing, and she met Jade’s lips in a kiss as her finger slipped inside of her, anticipating the moan that Jade wasn’t able to stifle on her own.

They both went still for a long moment, Tori moving to rest her head against Jade’s shoulder, feeling everything--the bare skin of their chests pressed together, Jade’s thigh firmly between hers, Jade panting near her ear. Her finger, inside of Jade, enveloped in soft heat.

Everything was so heady, almost overwhelming, and they both snapped back into motion as Tori began to move her hand. Jade’s thigh seemed to press against her even tighter somehow, her hips moving with the gentle thrusting of Tori’s finger. Tori’s head was swimming, and she sought Jade’s lips as a lifeline, feeling validation in every whimper that muffled between their mouths, feeling pleasure radiate through her at every moment that she remembered that she was inside of her girlfriend, which was every moment anyway, because it was impossible to forget.

At least until abruptly everything collided somehow, the rocking of her hips, the sensation of grinding against Jade’s thigh, feeling Jade tight around her, Jade’s tongue against her own, and Tori’s orgasm crept up on her like a groundswell, abrupt and powerful and knocking her off her feet to drown her in cascading waves of pleasure, and all she could do was hold onto Jade, pressing her face into her shoulder in hopes of muffling the moans she didn’t even have time to try to suppress.

-

Jade held Tori against her, wanting to laugh in shock but finding that difficult when Tori was still inside of her. Still, these things happened sometimes, her partner getting too excited and finishing when Jade was just getting warmed up. It was actually kind of _hot_ , though, the way Tori started shuddering on top of her, with barely any contact from Jade. “Damn, Tori,” she murmured, kissing her forehead.

“I don’t know,” Tori moaned, answering some unasked question. Jade wondered if she was even coherent. She had mercy on Tori and reached between her legs to pull Tori’s hand back up by the wrist. But Tori resisted her, “No, I can still...” she breathed, lifting her head slightly from Jade’s shoulder, “Just...give me a minute...oh god.” Her forehead dropped back onto Jade’s shoulder. She took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said, lifting her whole body back up, and Jade felt her finger pick up right where it left off, thrusting and curling inside of her in a way that was a bit staggered and clumsy, but also confident, in way that made Jade wonder just _what_ had Tori learned from those sex education pamphlets?

Tori kissed her again, and Jade ran her hands over the skin of Tori’s back, moaning encouragement against her lips. Jade knew it was just one finger--at least, she thought so, but it was hard to tell because of just how intense it felt, Tori’s single slim finger, moving with a sort of eagerness and gentleness that contrasted with the rough and tentative ways Jade had been touched before. But so much of what was working for Jade was less the erratic motion of Tori inside of her, or her palm grinding against Jade’s clit in a way that actually seemed accidental, and more the intense mindfuck that it was _Tori_ touching her. Tori, who was goofy and ridiculous until she abruptly shifted to wild and sexy, who had never even kissed a girl until a few months ago, was now making Jade writhe beneath her, pleasure building and flooding throughout her body. She grabbed Tori, one hand grasping onto her shoulder, the other gripping her hip, firm grips, bracing herself and holding on as everything coalesced, feeling her head tip back, Tori’s lips on her neck, her excited breaths in Jade’s ear, Jade’s hips jolting, lifting, grinding hard against Tori’s palm, needing _just_ a little more, until--

Jade came with only barely enough wherewithal to hold back the raw scream in her throat, squeaking and whimpering and breathing out nearly silent shuddering breaths, Tori’s hand still working, Jade’s hands still gripping Tori so hard she thought she might bruise her, Tori’s forehead resting against her shoulder again, breathing out, “oh god,” and “holy chiz,” as Jade’s body continued to jolt, riding her pleasure until she couldn’t anymore, and reached to grab Tori’s wrist, shivering and shuddering as Tori slipped her hand out of her shorts.

-

Tori had no idea what to do with her hand, and settled for grabbing at the sheets, wiping her fingers off there, and snuggling close to Jade, listening as she caught her breath, feeling her heaving chest and pounding heart next to Tori’s head. She pressed kisses against her chest and shoulder and neck, feeling Jade’s arms tight around her.

Finally, Jade seemed to collect herself, meeting Tori’s lips in a soft kiss, hand stroking through Tori’s hair. “That was amazing,” Tori whispered when they pulled apart.

“Uh huh,” Jade agreed, blinking and blushing as Tori gazed at her. Her brow furrowed, “I didn’t even get to touch you,” she realized.

Tori shook her head. “It’s really okay. I’m... _very_ good.” She had ground against Jade’s thigh so hard she was worried she’d bruised her pelvis, to be honest.

Jade glanced down Tori’s body, eyes longing a little. “Next time,” she vowed.

“Next time,” Tori agreed, leaning into Jade to kiss her again before settling down against her.

Was this it? Had she lost her virginity? Tori still wasn’t sure. But doing what she’d just done, in her bed, with her girlfriend...that felt like it ought to count for something. What the chiz kind of scale did all of this rate on, anyway? She considered this as her fingers walked and dragged across Jade’s stomach, hidden away under the sheet.

“You’re thinking,” Jade observed.

“Hmm?” Tori lifted her head back up. “I’m just...thinking.”

Jade laughed and lightly pushed her hand against Tori’s face. “That’s what I _just said_.”

Tori’s reaction was to lick Jade’s hand, which made Jade squeal in faux-disgust before she started tickling Tori’s side. “Okay, no,” Tori said, between giggles, doing her best to keep the volume down. “We have...to stay _quiet_.”

Jade’s motions stopped. “You’re lucky you’re right.”

“I’m right most of the time.”

Jade hummed. “Are you?”

Tori shoved her hair out of her face. “Pretty sure I’m right about the fact that you love me.”

“Oh wow, like that’s not super obvious,” Jade teased. “Turn over,” she urged, nudging Tori to roll onto her side so Jade could wrap around her in the big spoon position. Once Tori was securely enveloped in Jade’s embrace, Jade softly said, “Pretty sure you love me, too.”

Tori lifted Jade’s hand to press a kiss against her palm, then let herself drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _True Love_ by Pink.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode:
> 
> Star-Spangled Tori (4.12)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> It was the beginning of the last week of school. At least Jade was still driving her to school the next morning, even if she wouldn’t be taking her home. Usually their good morning kisses were pretty subdued, because it was so early, but they ended up making out when Tori got into the car for long enough that Jade worried they’d miss their window to pick up Jet Brew. It was harder than ever to just let Jade drive; all Tori wanted to do was touch her. It was ridiculous how much she’d missed her overnight, and from the enthusiasm of Jade’s kisses in her driveway, it seemed Jade agreed.
> 
> The magnetic pull to Jade seemed to persist throughout the day. Between classes, they kissed at their lockers, letting the kisses linger, not even caring who might be watching. They were breaking the rules, sure, but the rules hardly seemed to matter when school was almost out, and when Jade looked _so good_ in her sleeveless top, and when they’d had sex (or whatever) over the weekend.
> 
> And for the most part, no one seemed to care that they were straight up making out between classes. They pulled apart, however reluctantly, when their friends wanted to talk to them, and they behaved themselves at lunch--mostly. Tori may have had her hand in Jade’s lap, running her fingertips over Jade’s inner thigh, and Jade may have had her arm wrapped around Tori, running her nails lightly over the skin just under the hem of her shirt.
> 
> But during afternoon break, someone finally called them on their behavior.
> 
> “Hey,” Lane barked, his voice about as authoritative as it got, “Come on, you two. Tone it down. You know the rules.” 
> 
> Tori pulled away reluctantly. Jade was already fixing Lane with a challenging expression. “What can you even do? School’s almost out.”
> 
> Lane raised his eyebrows, “You want detention for the last week of school?”
> 
> “No, we don’t,” Tori cut in, “We’ll behave.”
> 
> Jade smirked, “You’re lucky my girlfriend follows rules,” she told Lane.
> 
> Lane spread his hands, “Come _on_. Why do you have to be like this? Let’s just get through this week. We’re almost home free.”
> 
> “Yeah, yeah,” Jade replied, wrapping an arm around Tori’s shoulders, “We’ll behave.”
> 
> Later, in the janitor’s closet, they did not behave.


	11. It's a love story baby, just say yes

When she woke up and peeked at the clock, it was already after eight. Dang, she’d slept hard. Which, okay, made sense considering the late night they’d had. Jade was no longer holding her and a glance back over Tori’s shoulder revealed her girlfriend sound asleep, on her back. She flipped over and cuddled right up to Jade, who didn’t stir in the slightest.

About an hour later, Tori woke up again, this time feeling more awake. Jade was still sleeping like the dead, so Tori quietly slipped out of bed, grabbed her glasses, and headed downstairs to see if anyone had started the coffee.

Her mom was already up and at the table and given that the coffee pot was nearly empty, she assumed her dad must have already been through here, also. Tori poured the remaining splash in a cup and started to brew a fresh pot.

“Good morning, honey,” said her mom. “Jade still sleeping?”

“Yeah,” Tori replied, considering just how bizarre it was to refer to her girlfriend who was asleep, in her bed, in a casual conversation with her mother. “She kind of has to wake up on her own or else she’s the worst.”

Holly hummed in acknowledgement, watching as Tori watched the pot brew. Tori leaned against the counter as she waited, idly checking The Slap, when she was interrupted by her mom.

“By the way,” Holly said, “Grandma wants you to call her.”

“I...what?” Tori asked with a sinking, suspicious feeling.

“You know how she wakes up so early. She didn’t want to call you in case you were sleeping late, so she called me. But she wants to talk to you.”

“Uh...okay,” Tori said, watching her mom for any clues about what on earth might be going on. “Did she say what she wanted?”

“No,” Holly replied simply, taking a sip of her coffee and returning her attention to her phone.

Tori stood waiting for the coffee to finish, feeling increasingly anxious about the mystery of Grandma, and as soon as enough coffee was in the pot for two cups, she hurried back upstairs.

In her bed, Jade had moved, so that now the covers were entirely over her head. Tori set the coffee mugs down on her desk and closed her bedroom door, eyeing the lump warily. “Are you awake?” she asked quietly.

An incoherent groan was her answer. Tori raised an eyebrow.

“I brought coffee,” she replied, figuring that would be incentive enough.

Instead, Jade only poked a single arm out of the mass of covers, reaching toward her.

“Okay, you can’t drink coffee like that,” Tori admonished, “Also, I know you get up and make yourself coffee when you’re at home, you’re not completely dysfunctional. What, you think I’m just going to serve you coffee in bed every time you stay over?”

“It’s worked so far,” Jade grumbled, the sound muffled slightly by the bedding surrounding her.

“Fine, just for that, _I’m_ going to drink your coffee.” Tori picked up one of the mugs to take an exaggerated sip, wincing because it was still very hot. Ouch.

It had the intended effect, however, because Jade pushed the covers off of her head, glaring at Tori with mussed hair. “Bring me the coffee,” she said dangerously.

Tori forced herself to take another sip. Oh god, why was she burning her mouth just to tease Jade? This wasn’t worth it. “Fine,” she said, “Sit up.”

Jade did so, and Tori handed over the cup. Jade took a sip and smiled, hard features immediately softening. Of course, it wasn’t too hot for Jade. Tori sat next to her on the bed with her own mug, and after that single sip, Jade leaned over to nuzzle against Tori’s shoulder sweetly. Coffee was truly magic, Tori supposed.

She let Jade drink her coffee, content to sit close to one another, waiting to reveal what her mom had said about her grandma. When Jade finished her cup, she passed it to Tori. “More,” she demanded.

Tori rolled her eyes. “In a minute. First, I have to tell you something.”

Jade let out an exaggerated groan, then said, “What?”

“When I went downstairs to get coffee, my mom said that my grandma called. She wants me to call her back.”

Jade turned, eyes wide. “Wait. Your grandma?” Even she looked paler than normal, and she whispered harshly, “Do they _know_?!”

“I _don’t know_ ,” Tori hissed back. “I don’t know _how_ they could!”

Jade snorted, “Please, it would be easy enough to guess.”

Tori waved her hand, “I don’t want to think about it!”

But in spite of Jade’s teasing, she did look really uncertain. “Did your mom...say anything else?”

Tori shook her head. “Nope. Just asked if you were still sleeping.”

“Weird.”

“I know.” Tori drained what was left in her cup--almost half of it--so she could go downstairs to get them both more.

Her mom was absorbed on her phone and barely acknowledged Tori as she filled up the mugs and went back upstairs. Jade was still sitting in the same spot on the bed. “You know, if you just had a coffee maker in your room, this would be so much easier.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” Tori passed her a mug. “Okay. You ready for me to call Grandma?”

Jade shrugged, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Tori set her coffee down and sat next to Jade, taking a breath, and then finding her Grandma Jean in her contacts folder.

Grandma answered after only a few rings. “Hello?”

“Hi, Grandma. It’s Tori,” she said.

“Oh, hi, honey. Hold on.” There was a shuffling sound, going on just long enough for Tori to glance at Jade, who watched, eyebrows climbing at Tori’s expression. Then, “Okay. Sorry about that. So your mom told you I called?”

“Yes,” Tori replied, “How are you?”

“I’m just fine, thanks for asking. Listen. Are you and Jade both free today? I found some of my old film memorabilia and I’d love to let Jade take a look at some of it.”

“Oh! Um, I’ll ask her, she’s right here next to me on...um, hold on.” Tori covered the mouthpiece of her phone. “Grandma wants to know if we want to visit because she wants to show you some of her film stuff.”

“Yes,” Jade replied simply, though her eyes absolutely lit up.

Tori lifted the phone back up, “Sure, we’re both free and we’d love to come visit.”

“That’s wonderful. You can get here alright, can’t you? Jade has her driver’s license like a normal teenage girl?”

It stung a little, though there was no malice in her grandmother’s tone. “Yes, Jade can drive us there.”

“Well, all right. I’ll see you when you get here.”

“Okay. Bye, Grandma!”

With that, they had a plan for the day. Tori drank a little more of her coffee before going to claim the shower, setting her cup down on her bedside table.

“You can finish my coffee if you want,” she offered to Jade, “Since I know it’s not _actually_ too light and sweet for you.” She was starting to feel a little jittery, and also anticipated they’d probably hit Jet Brew on their way out of town.

Jade narrowed her eyes. “It’s disgusting,” she replied, but she leaned over the bed to grab Tori’s mug.

Tori rolled her eyes, but fondly, as she headed into the bathroom.

-

After showers and a visit to Jet Brew, they were on their way to Encino. Jade only teased Tori about not being a chill navigator for a little bit before she decided she should probably behave, since it wasn’t as if she had a choice over who would navigate. As unchill as Tori could be, she still preferred her to an app, which was liable to send Jade down really annoyingly tiny neighborhood streets if it was “faster.” Besides, Tori knew the way to her grandma’s house. Or at least she should.

Jade drove while Tori sang and danced to the music on her PearTunes, both enjoying their Jet Brew coffees (Tori had gotten that cinnamon cold brew again, which probably meant she’d be hyped up for a few hours). Tori guided her along the route, apparently mostly from memory.

“Turn left up here,” Tori gestured.

“Okay.” At the stoplight, she noticed Tori watching her. “What?”

“What happened to your nose ring?”

Jade touched her nose automatically, shrugging, “It’s annoying to wear sometimes.”

“So you took it out? Won’t it close up?”

“Nah, I went through too much trouble to get it to let it close up completely. I usually at least wear it at night when I’m at home. But I lost the first one I had, that fit me really well, and my other one really hurts when I have to scratch my nose.” Jade took the left turn. “One day I’ll find a good replacement and start wearing it regularly again.”

From the corner of her eye, she could see Tori nodding appraisingly. “It suits you. But I like your eyebrow ring more.”

“Do you?” Jade glanced at her just long enough to raise the eyebrow in question, which made Tori smile.

Tori led her to her grandmother’s house, where there was space to park in the small driveway. She looked at Jade as she put the car in park, maybe resisting lunging at her to kiss her, as had become automatic for this kind of thing. “Ready?” Tori asked.

Jade was more excited than nervous. “Ready.”

Tori led them up the walkway to the front door where Grandma Jean was already waiting. She must have seen them pull up. Or she was a psychic. Who knew?

“Hello, girls,” she said as they entered the house. The neighborhood was far more suburban than the hills and the houses down on the valley floor were much smaller. Still, once inside, Jade noticed it was fairly open and airy, the large living room met up against a kitchen, similar to Tori’s house. “Jade, it’s nice to see you, again.”

“You, too,” said Jade. Especially if they were here to talk movies.

After some standard grandma-conversation about school and whether or not anyone wanted anything to drink, Grandma Jean led them down the hall to what Jade assumed was the spare room with packed bookshelves and a small desk with an older computer set up on it. There were two boxes on the floor that she and Tori were instructed to carry out to the living room.

“I found these things while looking for some family photos. I thought you might enjoy taking a look, Jade. Tori, you too, if you know what’s good,” razzed Grandma Jean.

Jade smiled at the familial teasing and, once the boxes were placed on the coffee table, she opened one up. Inside were what looked like a bunch of small posters and various trinkets. She pulled out a large colorful poster card that said _The Human Vapor_ and described what she assumed was the human vapor as “half man, half beast _.”_ “I’ve never heard of this one,” she said.

“Oh that’s a Japanese kaijin film!” Grandma Jean replied. “He can transform into vapor and asphyxiate his enemies.”

“Is kaijin anything like kaiju?” asked Tori.

Jade nodded. “Yeah, kind of. Kaiju is monsters, kaijin is, like...a mysterious person.”

Grandma Jean watched the exchange with a smile. “I can already tell I made the right decision asking you two over today.”

For some reason, Jade was thrilled that Grandma Jean liked her, that she wanted to share something so cool with the both of them. It made her feel special, both to have someone Tori was close to want to include her in this, and to also feel like she was sharing a part of herself with Tori. It was an unexpected development in engaging with the Vega family (though Grandma Jean wasn’t a Vega).

They spent over an hour digging through the movie memorabilia and, when they came across a lobby card for a 60s film called _Homicidal_ , Jade nearly lost her mind.

“I _love_ this movie,” she said, her hands almost shaking as she held the card, worried she might damage it. “It was what ultimately inspired _The Scissoring_ , almost thirty years later.”

Tori peered at the image of a woman with crazed eyes clutching a knife. “I can see how that would happen.”

“Why don’t you keep that one?” said Grandma Jean.

“I…” Jade was genuinely speechless. “Are you sure?”

Grandma Jean waved to indicate Jade should take it. “It’s just been sitting in a box longer than either of you have been alive and you’re obviously very excited about it.”

“Thank you,” Jade said. She thought she might cry, you know, if she were the kind of person who did that. Tori must’ve noticed, because she placed a hand on her back and rubbed soothingly.

But not long after, Grandma Jean was gently pushing them out the door, saying she had to get ready for her gentleman friend who was coming over for dinner. Tori insisted that they at least help her put the boxes of memorabilia back in the closet, because, “You shouldn’t be lifting things like this anyway, Grandma.” But soon, they were on their way back home, Jade’s lobby card placed carefully in the backseat.

“Seriously,” Jade said, “How have you never told me how cool Grandma Jean is before now?”

Tori flailed her arms. “I _didn’t know_! Usually she just talks about how my mom was a hellion as a teenager, or complains about her tired old bones.”

Jade shook her head, “I can’t believe you’re related to someone so cool,” she teased.

Tori gasped in mock horror. “You’re so lucky you’re driving right now.”

“Oh yeah? What would you do?” Jade spared a glance at her.

Tori actually cracked her knuckles at this, earning her another glance. “Let’s just say it wouldn’t be _fun_ tickling,” she said menacingly.

The threat was strangely exciting, but ultimately, Jade was glad she was driving, too.

-

When Tori was dropped off at home, her mom was at the kitchen table, staring at her phone. Holly glanced up, “Oh, hi, honey. Just a sec.”

Tori stared as her mom tapped away at her phone for a moment. “Was...that directed at me?”

“Yes. Sorry.” Holly lowered her phone, “I just wanted to let you know I’m picking you up from school tomorrow.”

Tori’s brow furrowed. “But...why?”

“It’s a surprise,” her mom replied enigmatically, attention back on her phone. Tori raised an eyebrow and watched for a second, hoping for elaboration, but none was forthcoming, so she sighed and headed upstairs to her room.

**Um, so my mom says she picking me up from school tomorrow**

**For some mysterious reason**

**...I think she knows**

Tori tried to start working on her homework, but she got distracted by a pamphlet from Patrice titled _The Safe & Smart Guide to Shopping for Sex Toys_, which...oh yeah, she’d bought that vibrator. And still hadn’t used it. Because Trina would probably hear it and Tori didn’t need any more humiliation in her life.

But as she was distracted planning when she might be able to get away with trying out her toy, Jade replied.

**There’s no way she could know**

**...Right?**

Oh, that was reassuring.

**I DON’T KNOW**

**First Grandma**

**And now this**

**WHAT IS HAPPENING**

**I don’t know**

**They’re the ones who let me stay over**

**It’s their fault we had sex or whatever**

Hmm, okay, “sex or whatever” was where Jade was.

**Did we?**

**Um, pretty sure I didn’t dream it**

**No, it definitely happened**

**I just wasn’t sure if it...counted**

**Felt like it counted for me**

It felt _very_ significant to Tori, too, but there was still the uncertainty about the status of her virginity. Maybe she’d feel differently if Jade had touched her, too. But she’d...gotten herself there too fast.

Tori spent the rest of her evening finishing her homework, and idly daydreaming about how it felt to make Jade come.

It was the beginning of the last week of school. At least Jade was still picking her up the next morning, even if she wouldn’t be taking her home. Usually their good morning kisses were pretty subdued, because it was so early, but they ended up making out when Tori got into the car for long enough that Jade worried they’d miss their window to pick up Jet Brew. It was harder than ever to just let Jade drive; all Tori wanted to do was touch her. It was ridiculous how much she’d missed her overnight, and from the enthusiasm of Jade’s kisses in her driveway, it seemed Jade agreed.

The magnetic pull to Jade seemed to persist throughout the day. Between classes, they kissed at their lockers, letting the kisses linger, not even caring who might be watching. They were breaking the rules, sure, but the rules hardly seemed to matter when school was almost out, and when Jade looked _so good_ in her sleeveless top, and when they’d had sex (or whatever) over the weekend.

And for the most part, no one seemed to care that they were straight up making out between classes. They pulled apart, however reluctantly, when their friends wanted to talk to them, and they behaved themselves at lunch--mostly. Tori may have had her hand in Jade’s lap, running her fingertips over Jade’s inner thigh, and Jade may have had her arm wrapped around Tori, running her nails lightly over the skin just under the hem of her shirt.

But during afternoon break, someone finally called them on their behavior.

“Hey,” Lane barked, his voice about as authoritative as it got, “Come on, you two. Tone it down. You know the rules.”

Tori pulled away reluctantly. Jade was already fixing Lane with a challenging expression. “What can you even do? School’s almost out.”

Lane raised his eyebrows, “You want detention for the last week of school?”

“No, we don’t,” Tori cut in, “We’ll behave.”

Jade smirked, “You’re lucky my girlfriend follows rules,” she told Lane.

Lane spread his hands, “Come _on_. Why do you have to be like this? Let’s just get through this week. We’re almost home free.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jade replied, wrapping an arm around Tori’s shoulders, “We’ll behave.”

Later, in the janitor’s closet, they did not behave. But Lane wasn’t there to stop them.

Jade had Tori pressed up against the door, next to the window, so that anyone looking in shouldn’t be able to see them. Jade knew her way around the limitations of the janitor’s closet, and Tori thought this was probably the simplest and easiest solution to utilizing the small space without much privacy. Which was good, because they didn’t have much time.

Jade interlaced their fingers and pressed the back of Tori’s hand against the door, next to her head. As if Tori needed help staying in place when Jade was pressed right up against her, when the window was _right there_ , when they really didn’t need to get caught after the warning from Lane earlier. But it was incredibly sexy, especially combined with Jade’s leg pressed between hers, Jade’s lips all over her mouth and throat, Jade’s hand squeezing hers, Jade’s other hand on her breast. All Tori could do was hold on, her hand firmly grasping Jade’s hip, letting Jade play her body like an instrument in the janitor’s closet.

Tori felt slow warmth spreading all through her body, hips undulating against Jade’s leg, struggling to keep quiet as Jade’s mouth trailed down her neck. Her hand moved up to grasp Jade’s hair, encouraging her attention, and Tori’s knees felt weak as she began to wonder just how far they could go, tucked away in the closet like this.

The buzz of Tori’s PearPhone in her back pocket interrupted them, sound amplified by the fact that it was pressed against the closet door. Tori sagged in disappointment, and Jade leaned back, putting just enough space between their bodies for Tori to extract her phone.

Tori checked her text, and sighed. “My mom is here to pick me up.”

Jade nodded, eyes vibrant as she ran her tongue over her lips. “Okay,” she said, voice a low rasp.

Tori surged forward to capture her lips again, her now free hand burying itself in Jade’s hair. She pulled away a moment later, and they took a moment to adjust makeup, and then Tori hurried out of school to her mom’s car.

“Hey, honey, how was school?” Holly asked, as Tori buckled herself into the passenger seat, trying to avoid eye contact because she was trying to cool down from the janitor’s closet.

“Fine, I guess. It’s the last week.” Tori could see Jade sauntering out of the building, sunglasses on, as she gave a casual wave to the both of them.

Holly waved back with a smile before she maneuvered the car toward the parking lot exit. “Excited about summer break?”

“I mean, yeah.” What was with all the questions? “So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” said Holly, repeating what she’d told Tori the day before.

They drove west down Sunset, making the short drive to West Hollywood where her mom pulled up to the curb in front of a small coffee house. The sign said YasssHomo Coffee Roasters and there was a rainbow flag in the window. “Um, we’re getting coffee?” Very gay coffee, apparently.

“You are. Someone would like to meet with you.” Holly said.

Wait. What? “Who?”

Holly shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to go in and see.”

“Yeah, yeah. Because it’s a surprise.” Tori popped the seatbelt free and opened the door, taking one more look at her mom for any kind of answer, but there wasn’t one. Okay, well, the only way to find out was to go inside. At least she’d calmed down from the makeout session. Mostly.

Inside, the coffee house was fairly standard, though certainly more vibrant than any Jet Brew she’d been to. Without knowing who she was meeting, Tori figured the first order of business was to buy a drink, so she stepped in line, peering around the room for any familiar faces. But no one registered as someone she recognized. Until the person in front of her moved to step up to the register and turned to her.

“Tori! You’re here.” Patrice. It was Patrice Kline.

“Um, hi. Yeah.” Was that who she was here to see?

Apparently, because then Patrice was asking, “What did you want? It’s on me.”

Tori hadn’t even looked at the menu, though it was fairly regular coffee bar fare, just with cuter names. She didn’t see anything resembling her current favorite, the cinnamon cold brew, so she considered her options. “Um…” Also, she could see that Patrice had ordered an Americano, black.

“Really, whatever you want.”

“You just seem like a hardcore coffee person and I’m worried you’ll judge me,” Tori said with a laugh.

“No judgment. I won’t even look.” Patrice turned around to face away from her.

“I guess I’ll get the...Chilly Willy?” It was described as an iced black and white mocha, so it sounded good to her.

“What size, sweetie?” asked the cashier.

“Medium,” Tori decided.

With the drink orders placed and paid for, Patrice guided them to a table near the back. “I’m sure you’re probably wondering what’s up,” she said.

“A little,” admitted Tori. “My mom didn’t tell me anything and just dropped me off here, so…”

Patrice chuckled. “Well, to be fair, I asked her to keep it casual. Basically, I just wanted to chat again. I know that our initial meeting was a lot of information that you weren’t expecting so I thought we could have a little follow up since it’s pretty clear from your emails that you’ve had more questions.”

“ _That’s_ why?” Tori was relieved.

“Yep, it’s something I’ve learned is a helpful part of this kind of education. It’s easy to feel overloaded and a little processing time usually helps the real questions come to the surface.” Patrice nodded, though now she was studying Tori. “Was there some other reason you were expecting to have to meet with me?”

But right then, the barista called out their order, so Patrice rose to retrieve the drinks. Tori quickly whipped out her phone and sent a text to Jade.

**So the mystery for the afternoon is Patrice**

**She wants to check in**

**Because of Saturday night??**

**I don’t think so**

**Sounds like a regular thing she does**

**But can you pick me up in about an hour?**

**Yeah, of course**

Tori sent the location to Jade as Patrice returned with the drinks and slid back into her seat. She didn’t want to really discuss her fears about her weekend activity being found out, so she quickly diverted to the emails she’d sent.

“I can see what you mean about the questions,” Tori said, thinking about the emails she’d sent over the last couple of weeks. “Which...there was, um, some closure on that first situation.”

“Oh?” Patrice’s brow creased as if she was trying to recall something.

“I mean, I realize I said to disregard the accidental message, but…I managed to see them. My girlfriend’s, uh...you know.”

Patrice sipped her coffee, an amused smile on her lips. “Tori, whatever you’re experiencing personally is your business. I’m just here to help.”

“Right,” Tori blushed. “I just mean...right. Uh, yeah, so I guess I resolved both of the questions I had that I emailed you about.”

“That’s good to hear,” Patrice nodded, taking a sip of her Americano. “Have any other questions come up for you that you’d like to share?”

Tori thought about it. There was still kind of the question of what counted as sex, but...she had a feeling she knew what Patrice would say about that, that it was all personal. And if it had counted to Jade, Tori figured it counted as sex. But she realized she did have another question. “How did you get into doing this, anyway?”

Patrice sat up, blinking a little. “That’s...not the kind of question I was expecting, but I’d be happy to talk about that.” She settled back in her seat, taking another sip of her drink with thoughtful eyes. “I started on this path in college. I knew I was interested in psychology, and I ended up taking a human sexuality class. And it just absolutely blew me away, I was fascinated. I couldn’t understand how it wasn’t a required course, I couldn’t understand why we weren’t teaching this information to _everyone_.” Tori watched the way her eyes lit up with passion, and thought she recognized it as the same thrill that had gone through her when she’d discovered performing. “I’d known I was attracted to women for a while at that point, and was in the process of figuring out what, exactly, that meant for my identity. And part of that meant socializing in queer circles and queer spaces, and realizing that there was a fundamental lack of sex education that addressed the questions specific to my community. So I started there, trying to answer questions and provide information to my peers. It was a hobby before I figured out it could be a career.”

“Wow,” Tori said, “So has the focus always been people like me?”

“Yes and no,” Patrice replied, “I do work with young people a lot, often in small groups rather than one on one, or I guest lecture at schools sometimes. But I also do a lot of work with adults, and teach classes that I won’t be discussing with you until you turn eighteen.”

Tori abruptly remembered the pamphlets her mother had gotten, and grew horrified. “Is that what you gave my mom stuff about?!”

Patrice just smiled enigmatically. “That’s not information I can divulge. If you want to know which pamphlets your mom has read, you’ll have to ask her.”

“I don’t _want_ to ask her!” Tori moaned, horrified.

“Then you probably don’t need to know,” Patrice replied with a grin. It was much more relaxed than her typical professional smile. It made Tori smile, too. Okay, she was being a little ridiculous.

Tori took another sip of her coffee, which made her consider their surroundings. “So, why did you choose here?” she asked. “Was it because of me?”

Another friendly smile. “Sort of. I wanted you to know that you have access to certain queer spaces even though you’re still a teenager, and your mom was on board with that. But also, I’m here all the time. What do you think of it?”

“I like it,” Tori decided, looking around and taking in the relaxed atmosphere, the baristas who were somehow more androgynous and stylish than other baristas, the casual rainbow flags, bright colors, and blond wood furniture. “I mean, I knew there were coffee shops like this around, but I’d never thought to go in one before.”

“Glad you made it here, then”

“Oh, I guess that’s another thing,” Tori remembered, “I kind of told my mom that I’m like...really gay.”

“Did you?” Patrice grinned, “That’s great, congratulations. How did she react?”

“Oh, she was fine,” Tori replied, “It wasn’t really a surprise.”

“She seems like a pretty good mom,” Patrice agreed.

Tori groaned. Why was everyone so obsessed with her mom? She was about to explain when her eyes widened. “Jade’s here,” she told Patrice, catching sight of her girlfriend coming in the door in that sleeveless shirt and her sunglasses. She slipped off the sunglasses, raised her eyebrows at Tori, and got in line for a drink.

“Oh?” Patrice asked, glancing over her shoulder.

“I asked her to come pick me up later. I guess she’s early.”

“Well, I’d be happy to meet her if you’re both comfortable with that.”

Tori nodded, and then flushed at the thought of her weekend. She realized she did have an actual question about what had happened during sex. She leaned forward, “I have a question, before she comes over here,” she murmured.

“Okay,” Patrice leaned forward, too, “Tell me.”

“So...we were kind of having sex the other night,” Tori was already blushing furiously, but Patrice looked unsurprised and nonjudgmental, so she continued, “And I was...touching her, and she wasn’t even touching me, but I...uh...still kind of finished really fast, like, _too_ fast,” she didn’t think her ears had gotten so hot in a long time. “Is that...like...normal?” She knew enough by now to know that ‘normal’ wasn’t a word Patrice liked to use, but she couldn’t come up with a better way to phrase what she wanted to know.

Patrice’s eyebrows had risen, but otherwise her expression remained compassionate and open. She glanced over her shoulder to where Jade was standing, waiting for her coffee. “That’s your girlfriend in the black sleeveless top?” she asked when she turned back.

“Yeah,” Tori confirmed.

“Yeah, I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Patrice told her lightly. “Enjoy your body’s responsiveness. And keep communicating as you explore together.”

“Right,” Tori nodded. She could tell Patrice was trying to phrase her response as respectfully and professionally as she could, but Tori got the message. _Your girlfriend is hot, of course you came fast_.

By now, Jade was approaching the table, coffee in hand. “Hey,” she greeted, her voice the stoic one she tended to use when she was trying to be intimidating. It only made Tori grin. She turned to Patrice. “Patrice,” she said in the same tone.

“Jade,” Patrice replied in a much warmer one, “It’s very nice to meet you.” Her eyes dipped to Jade’s forearm. “I like your tattoo.”

Jade held out her arm so she could see it better, seemingly without thinking. “Thanks,” she replied, her voice already softer. “Yours are cool, too,” she admitted.

“Thank you,” Patrice replied, “Would you like to join us?”

“Sure,” Jade slid into the booth seat beside Tori. Tori nudged her with her shoulder, making Jade smile. “So. Never been here before,” she commented, looking around.

“Neither had Tori, apparently,” Patrice smiled.

“We should come here sometimes,” Tori turned to Jade.

Jade shrugged, “Depends how the coffee is,” she replied, lifting her cup to her mouth. Tori watched as her eyes widened, and she followed her first sip with a second one. “Oh my god,” Jade said, “This is amazing.”

“Right?” Patrice agreed, “Better than Jet Brew.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, you’re so right,” Jade was looking appraisingly at Patrice, but Tori was already pretty certain she’d been won over. “Would have been nice to know about this place, like, four months ago.”

“Why’s that?” asked Patrice.

“We weren’t really,” Jade searched for the right word. “Public...at the beginning.” But almost as if she anticipated a question from Patrice, Jade added, “Not because we’re both girls, just...Tori and I…”

“It’s been complicated,” Tori said, stepping in. “Not lately, but before.”

“Relationships have a strange way of adapting, sometimes.” Patrice looked from Tori to Jade, as if evaluating. “Did you two fight a lot? Before?”

“Yes,” Jade said, just as Tori answered, “No.” They turned to each other to challenge what each had said.

“We didn’t fight,” Tori said. “You just like to antagonize people.”

Jade tilted her head. “What do you think fighting _is_?”

Patrice raised her eyebrows then chuckled. “You know what, that answers my question.”

-

Jade drove them home after hanging out with Patrice for a little longer. She thought she knew what to expect from meeting Patrice, having looked her up back when Tori met with her the first time, but being in front of her was different than she expected. Patrice’s demeanor had put her at ease, she had good taste in coffee, and she’d complimented Jade’s tattoo--something adults didn’t generally do, instead usually asking how she could have done something so permanent at such a young age.

So yeah, Jade kind of liked her, even if it was a little weird to her that she and Tori had some kind of rapport.

“You know,” Tori said thoughtfully, “I think I might be ready to try again for my driver’s license.”

“Yeah?” Jade asked, “So you can go get gay coffee with Patrice any time, huh?”

Tori shot her a look, “Okay, I do like knowing that there’s a space like that where I can go, but also, if I get my license, you don’t have to drive me around all summer.”

“I like driving you around,” Jade said stubbornly. Okay, maybe it would be nice to not do all the driving sometimes. “So yeah, you should get your license and your Grandma Jean’s car.”

“I need to prepare,” Tori said thoughtfully.

“Well, you already passed the written test, so what, you just need some practice driving?”

“Yeah,” Tori sighed, “But I don’t want to ask my parents. My dad is scary intense and my mom isn’t helpful at all. I hate driving the SUV and Mom won’t even let me touch her car…”

“So, practice with my car,” Jade offered. It seemed reasonable. “We can go up to Shadow Creek Park, no old ladies will be crossing the street up there.”

Tori actually glared at her, “Okay, if you’re just going to make me more nervous, I’ll pass.”

“Come on,” Jade implored, “It’ll be okay. You’ll feel more confident once you’ve gotten behind the wheel again.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” Tori replied.

Jade pulled into Tori’s driveway, putting the car into park. Tori leaned over, hands sliding along Jade’s jaw, to give her a very eager kiss. Jade kissed back, fingers wrapping in the collar of Tori’s t-shirt to keep her close. She felt Tori’s other hand on her arm, stroking over her skin, and felt her fingers on Jade’s tattoo, reminding Jade of the way she used to touch it, early on. This kiss felt warm and reassuring, not matching the heat and intensity of the janitor’s closet, but Jade didn’t care. Driveway Time was so often goodbye kisses, they had developed a sort of wistful intimacy around them now.

By the time Tori pulled away, Jade felt like she’d swallowed the sun with how content she was. It was the last week of school, she had a gorgeous, adorable nerd of a girlfriend, and they had a whole summer to look forward to, to find times to slip away to have sex.

Because oh, yeah. They were really actually having sex now, and just the memory of Tori inside of her was still enough to make Jade shiver with desire.

But they both had homework. Jade still had a final screenplay to finish (the one she’d started earlier in the year about the revenge killings of annoying frat boys), and she knew Tori had some final work to do for her songwriting class. It would be a busy week, with final projects, final exams, and everything that came with the last week of school.

But not so busy that Jade didn’t plan to take Tori driving on Tuesday after school.

After a trip through Jet Brew, Jade drove them toward the park, the traffic thinning until it became non-existent once they turned off the exit that led toward a bunch of nothing. Jade didn’t even understand how an expanse of land like this existed so close to everything and she liked to assume the ground was cursed so nothing could be built on it. Which, maybe meant it didn’t generate the best vibes for driving practice, so she decided to keep that part to herself. “Oookay,” she said, putting the car in park on the side of the road. “Come on.”

While the drive had been normal with casual conversation and Tori poking around on PearTunes, there was a distinct change in Tori’s demeanor now that they were here. “What if I drive off the road?”

“Who cares?” Jade gestured to the open desert. “There’s nothing there.”

“What if a family of rabbits runs into the street?”

“Then just hit them. They’re small.”

“JADE!”

“Yeah, no, that’s gross.” Even _she_ didn’t actually advocate running over small animals, especially not bunnies. “Look, you’ll be fine.” Jade exited the car and waited for Tori to walk around to the driver’s side, grabbing both her hands when she was close enough. “You can do this,” she said, leaning in and giving her a simple kiss. “Now _get in the car_.”

As Tori settled into the driver’s seat, Jade reached down through the open window to hit the trunk release button.

“What are you doing?” Tori asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” dismissed Jade. She walked to the rear of the car and pulled out a very basic, folded wheelchair, which she popped open and shoved into the middle of the street.

Tori immediately hung half her body out the window. “Are you _kidding me_?”

Jade ignored the outburst and let herself into the passenger’s side. “Check your mirrors,” she instructed.

“You really brought that?” Tori asked, buckling her seatbelt, then adjusting the rear view mirror, followed by the driver’s side mirror. “Where did you even get it?”

Jade shrugged. “They’re really great for dolly shots when I’m shooting stuff.” That didn’t answer _where_ she’d gotten it, but it wasn’t like the hospital would miss it. “Stop stalling and get moving. All you have to do is not hit the wheelchair.”

Tori carefully pulled away from the shoulder and guided the car back onto the road. They were driving away from the chair, so after about a hundred feet, Jade guided her to turn around, which Tori managed just fine. By now, the chair had rolled to the edge of the road so all Tori literally had to do was drive past it and she was doing well as she approached.

Until Jade shouted, “WATCH OUT FOR THE WHEELCHAIR!”

Tori jerked the wheel and clipped the edge of the chair. They hadn’t been going that fast, so nothing really happened other than Jade doubling over in laughter and Tori fuming about it. “That was _NOT FUNNY_.” She pulled the parking break and crossed her arms, looking furious and adorable as she pouted.

But Jade was crying from laughing so hard, so she begged to differ. Okay, but Tori did seem actually mad about it. “Hey, okay. Come on,” Jade finally said when she could breathe again. “It’s all about focus. Let’s try again.”

Tori released an exasperated sigh and released the brake. “Don’t scream at me this time.”

That just made the laughter bubble back up in Jade. “Can’t make any promises.”

Tori shook her head, her gaze steely with determination. Again, they moved up the road and turned around. This time, as they approached the wheelchair, Tori stared directly ahead. Again, Jade screamed something about the chair, but instead of hitting it, Tori swung her arm over and blindly whacked Jade in the shoulder. “STOP IT.”

But she stayed on the road and didn’t hit anything, so...progress. Jade demanded that Tori do it again and again, each time, shouting something as they passed the chair, but Tori now had the focus to ignore her.

“All right,” Jade finally said. “I think you’ve got it.”

“I don’t want to give you the satisfaction but...that worked really well,” Tori said, pulling over to the side of the road and putting the car in park.

“Yeah, well. Trial by Jade can be a pretty good learning experience, if you have the stomach for it,” Jade replied, watching Tori to be sure she pulled the parking brake--she’d lost points for forgetting to do that on her own driver’s test.

Tori smirked, “Trial by Jade, huh? What other learning experiences am I in store for?”

“I don’t know. You’re the one who deals with me every day. Isn’t that like a daily Trial by Jade?”

Tori’s eyebrows rose, “Okay, I don’t _deal with_ you every day,” she replied, sounding almost offended.

“Hey, I’m just being realistic. I’m not the easiest person to date.” Jade was being honest. She knew herself. Beck had never directly expressed anything like this, but Jade had always had a sense of _you’re lucky he puts up with you_ when they’d been together. Tori put her at ease more than he ever had, but that thought still lingered.

But Tori looked actually upset. “I don’t deal with you every day,” she repeated, “I love you every day.”

Jade looked at her in surprise, but Tori’s reaction was so unexpected compared to Jade’s nonchalance about the whole thing that she found herself laughing in response.

Tori glowered at her as she giggled. “Okay, I’m driving us home now.”

“Ohh, no, you’re not!” Jade reached over for the wheel as if...yeah, okay, bad idea, but the car wasn’t actually moving yet.

“Yep, I am,” Tori put the car in gear and started driving down the street without interference from Jade.

Jade dissolved into laughter again, “Wait, wait! My wheelchair!”

“Nope,” Tori said flatly, “Your wheelchair lives out here now.”

“Come on, Tori,” Jade pleaded between laughter.

Tori slowed, and parked along the side of the road again. She turned to Jade, “You are such an asshole,” she said, clearly still trying to glower, but she couldn’t hide a smile.

“Yep. Hence why you have to deal with me.”

Tori rolled her eyes, “It’s also why I love you. You’re _my_ asshole--oh god. I did not think that through.”

“Disgusting!” Jade was back to laughing uproariously, at least until Tori grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her in for a kiss.

Jade laughter faded quickly as she melted into Tori’s kiss, Tori still holding fast to the front of her shirt, her other hand in Jade’s hair. Jade let her hands wrap around Tori’s sides, holding her and letting Tori set the pace of the kisses, tipping her head to give Tori access to her throat, sliding a hand through her hair to encourage her. Tori kissed her with a ferocity that rivaled the last time they had been up here, and Jade abruptly remembered how she thought she lost Tori in the desert, only for her to run back and pounce on her, all sun-warm skin and breathless enthusiasm, and Jade wondered, in retrospect, if that had been the moment that had changed everything for her.

But now, they kissed until another car passed them on the road, which was weird enough that it pulled them out of the moment. Tori glanced at the back seat, as if a murderer could have snuck in while they were busy. “Maybe we should actually head back.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jade agreed reluctantly. There was still homework, after all.

They turned around to pick up Jade’s wheelchair, but only because Tori remembered. Jade smiled. She might be an asshole, but her girlfriend definitely was not.

-

That night, Tori was supposed to be sitting down to watch the finale of _American Voice_ , a show she’d started binge-watching when the technology ban had been lifted. Everyone at school had been buzzing about it all semester, but she hadn’t really felt driven to watch until she _couldn’t_. There were even a few nights when she and Jade had watched back-to-back episodes while on video chat, with Jade providing commentary on why she thought everyone was terrible.

About a half an hour before the show was supposed to start, Tori had just finished her homework and a recent text from Jade suggested she was trying to make more progress on her final script project, so Tori didn’t want to bother her until she heard it was all clear. She stretched out on her bed, thinking about the afternoon in Shadow Creek Park, with Jade scaring the absolute chiz out of her to the point where she’d actually become a better driver. Or, well, she hoped. She’d find out when she took her test, again.

The idea of freedom to go where she wanted really appealed to her, though most of the places she planned to visit included Jade, so it wasn’t like she didn’t have a way to get there, even without her license. Mostly, she just wanted to be able to spend time with her girlfriend on her own time, which was about to become far more flexible once school was out at the end of the week. She wondered when Jade’s mom was out of town next, because she’d already entertained a few fantasies about what they could do during their next sleepover. Or even in the back of Jade’s car.

Wait. There was no one home. Her mom was out with friends, her dad had taken Trina to an orientation meeting in Northridge to prepare for college in the fall. Basically, no one was due home until after nine.

Tori opened the drawer of her nightstand and found the lipstick vibrator. Was she really planning to use this? Well, she’d bought it. So, she supposed she should try it. A click of the button turned it on and, chiz, it was loud. But no one was home, so…

She unbuttoned her jeans and slipped the buzzing device under her panties but-- _nope_ , okay, that was a lot of sensation. Maybe if she tried it outside the underwear…yeah, okay, that was working. It was working _pretty damn well_. Her eyes closed as she thought about Jade, there in her bed, the way she’d moved the other night at the touch of Tori’s hand. Tori recalled the way she herself and been so quick to--hey, was this thing _slowing down_? She readjusted her hand and tried to fall back into her memory-fantasy, but yeah, no, this vibrator was already dying. How? She’d literally never used it before today.

Tori sat up and clicked the power button before twisting the battery compartment open. Three tiny silver button batteries were inside. What the chiz? She was pretty sure they didn’t have anything like that at home. Maybe she’d just had it on for too long. She closed it back up and switched it back on, but it still droned lower and lower until it was barely doing much of anything. “Stupid cheap-ass fake lipstick,” she grumbled to herself, chucking it across the room.

Now she was worked up _and_ she’d wasted twenty bucks.

Tori groaned and lay back against her pillows, considering her options. She reached into her panties to touch herself, letting her mind drift back to Jade under her fingers, and to the very real possibility that Jade would be touching _her_ , very soon.

She let herself enjoy the sensation and the fantasy, imagining her hand was Jade’s, imagining Jade kissing her as her hand worked between her legs. But ultimately, Tori kicked off her jeans and grabbed her pillow, throwing her leg over it and grinding her way to completion, remembering the way she’d finished so quickly on top of Jade.

She slumped back against her pillows, basking in the afterglow, letting her thoughts continue to linger on Jade and possibilities for when they might be able to do anything next.

When she finally came back to herself, she decided she’d better jump in the shower. She got up and found where the vibrator had landed across the room and, not sure what else to do with it, she stuck it back in her bedside drawer, then went into the bathroom to take a shower.

By the time she came out, _American Voice_ had been on for twenty minutes. Chiz, where had all the time gone? She hurried downstairs. It would be DVR’d, and maybe she could catch up by skipping the commercials. And Jade had already texted her about it.

**Okay, it’s go time, are you watching?**

**You’re not missing much yet they’re recapping the whole season**

**Tori?**

**I’m going down to the TV now!**

But to her surprise, her mom and Trina were downstairs watching some trashy reality TV. Oh, and there was her dad at the kitchen table. Everyone must’ve come home while she was in the shower, a little earlier than she’d expected.

Grateful that she somehow hadn’t been interrupted a half an hour earlier, Tori approached the sofas. “Hey! I’m supposed to be watching American Voice tonight.”

“Well, you’re not,” Trina sneered.

“You weren’t using the TV, honey,” Holly elaborated, “And Trina and I wanted to catch up on _Real Housewives of Van Nuys_. We’re a few episodes behind.”

“Yeah,” Trina said, “And Bambi Sterling is on this season, and Mom and I want to watch her humiliate herself.”

Tori rolled her eyes. Sure, Bambi was unpleasant--she didn’t know even when it originated, but her mom had been feuding with her for years--but Tori thought her show should take precedent. She couldn’t convince Trina or her mom of this, however, so she just groaned in frustration and went to the kitchen to get a snack.

“Tough luck, kiddo,” her dad said, glancing up from whatever he was doing on his PearPad.

“I better not get spoiled for _American Voice_ because of this,” she whined, but seeing her dad reminded her of something else. “Dad? I think I’m ready to try for my driver’s license again.”

He looked up, “Are you? That’s great. You better go grab an appointment slot. You want me to take you out for some practice?”

“No, that’s okay,” Tori said quickly. She realized she would probably have to take the test with her dad’s SUV and was already dreading it, but her dad was right about one thing. She’d better schedule her test appointment.

She went back upstairs and texted Jade.

**So I can’t watch American Voice**

**I was late to get to the TV and Mom and Trina snagged it**

**Tori**

**Are you kidding me?**

**It’s the finale**

Tori opened her PearBook to get on the DMV website, texting Jade as the website slowly loaded. Why was the DMV website as slow as the location?

**I know!**

**It’s DVR’d**

**I’ll watch it tomorrow**

**You won’t make it through the day without being spoiled**

**Sure I will!**

**I’ll just tell everyone I’ve been watching it for four months**

**No one will want to screw that up**

Tori got into the appointments section. The next available was in two days, on Thursday afternoon. She scheduled her driver’s test without hesitation.

**Tori you’ve been watching it for like three weeks**

**And I don’t even know if I’ll be able to not spoil you**

**JADE!**

**You’d better not spoil me!**

**No promises**

**But more than likely you’ll get spoiled anyway**

The next morning in the car, Tori got in to find Jade appraising her outfit, “Nice shirt,” she commented.

Tori was wearing the gray shirt with the people holding cameras on it that Jade had given her to replace the shirt she’d stolen, paired with a red blazer. “Thanks,” she replied, leaning over to kiss Jade.

But before she got there, she heard the morning show DJ speaking, “And on _American Voice_ last night, a surprise upset when--”

“Ah AH NO NO NO!” Tori screamed, reaching to turn off the radio. Jade had leaned as far away from her as possible, hands over her ears. “That was close,” Tori breathed.

“We wouldn’t be having this problem if you’d just _watched American Voice last night_ ,” Jade said irritably, but she leaned back over to accept a brief good morning kiss.

“I _couldn’t_!” Tori cried.

“Okay, but why not? Why were you late to start watching anyway?”

“I...that’s...personal,” Tori stammered, already feeling heat on her face.

Jade glanced at her before beginning to back out of the driveway. “So are we talking emailing Patrice personal, or something I want to hear about personal?”

“I...was...um, trying out that...lipstick thing you found.”

“You mean your _vibrator_? You mean you _still_ hadn’t used it?”

“Oh my god,” Tori covered her face, “Yes, okay? It’s really loud and I’m never alone.”

There was a pause, and then Jade said, “Well, how was it?”

“It was garbage,” Tori said emphatically.

“Whoa!” Jade laughed, “Wasn’t expecting that.”

“I mean, it was fine, for a minute, and then it ran out of batteries, like out of nowhere, and it uses these weird little batteries I’ve never seen before, so I threw it across the room and...had to use my hand...uh.”

“Tell me about that,” Jade encouraged, glancing at her briefly with a little leer.

“I...uh…” Tori blushed, because she didn’t think that Jade really needed to know that her pillow was her primary masturbatory aid, “Um, anyway, then I had to take a shower.”

Jade laughed, “Uh...why?”

“I just felt like I needed to, okay?” Tori exploded.

“That sounds like email-to-Patrice personal.”

“Oh, god,” Tori was mortified, “Anyway, by the time that was all over I tried to go downstairs and the TV had been taken over.”

Jade was quiet for a moment, then said, “So basically, you’re telling me you missed the _American Voice_ finale because you decided it was a fine time to masturbate?”

“I was thinking about _you_!” Tori shot back, reddening further, but then she pressed on. “So if anything, it’s _your_ fault I missed the finale.”

“I won’t be blamed just because you can’t control yourself,” Jade shot her a smirk as she got in line at Jet Brew. “And I also won’t be blamed if I can’t make it through the day without spoiling you.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I might. I just don’t think I can keep a secret this big from you.”

“Jade!”

“You want your cinnamon cold brew today?” Jade asked, changing the subject completely. Tori huffed, but agreed.

Tori made it through part of her day without spoilers, warning everyone she came across that she hadn’t seen the finale so they’d better not say anything. For the most part, it was fine, but mid-morning was Sikowitz’s class, and the first time she saw all her friends aside from in passing in the halls.

She already knew what she was going to say, so she took a breath and pushed through the door to the classroom. “Hey! Hello! Yo, everyone!” Tori waved her arms over her head to get the attention of the room. She shushed everyone for good measure, then said, “Before anyone says anything, I did not see the finale of _American Voice_ last night.” Andre began to speak, but she wouldn’t let him, “Shush! I recorded it and it’s on my DVR and I’m watching it as soon as I get home tonight.” Now it was Beck’s turn to try and say something, but Tori wildly flailed her hand in his face, making noise until he ducked away. “I’ve watched every episode this season for the past four months,” she made a point not to be looking at Jade while she spouted the lie, “so please, no one tell me who won, last night. Please?”

The room was quiet as Tori sat down next to Jade. Until Jade said, “Sebastian won.”

“Aw, dang it!” Tori cried, flinging her head back. Well, to be fair, Jade _had_ told her this would likely happen. Tori groaned and tipped her head over to Jade’s shoulder where she was consoled with a pat on the head.

“I’m sorry. Seriously, I just couldn’t help myself,” Jade insisted, shifting so she could hold Tori’s hand in her lap.

Cat entered the room, giving some kind of presentation about the pajelehoocho, a weird pajamas-jeans-leggings-hoodie-poncho combo. By the end of it, it was apparent that she was trying to sell them because she’d accidentally ordered one-hundred and forty-four of them. But that wasn’t even the weirdest part of class. As was common toward the end of the semester and especially the end of the school year, Sikowitz began pitching a bunch of wild performance ideas about shows on a city bus or a Broadway musical underwater. They all sounded, well, crazy.

“I don’t want to do a play underwater,” said Tori. “My skin’ll prune up.”

Jade backed her up. “None of us want to do a play underwater.”

“Or on a nasty bus,” added Andre.

Sikowitz seemed to give up as he dropped face-down on the floor in the front of the class for a moment before he pulled himself back up and accused them of being Negative Nancys, Whiny Willies, and Depressing Darnells. Whoever that was.

“What are you buggin’ about?” asked Jade.

“Oh, I’ll tell you about what I’m buggin’!” Sikowtiz said. “When you kids started this class, you were all bright-tailed and bushy-eyed, hungry to learn about being performers!” He flailed about the classroom stage. “Now, you don’t want to do nothin’. I might as well just quit.” It was something of an idle threat, given that there were only a couple days left in the school year. Also, he was always trying to prove some point. Which was why no one made an effort to stop him when he went for the door. “I should just walk out that door, never to return.” Still no one said anything. “Your favorite teacher, exiting forever!” he said, flinging open the door.

“Okay, okay!” Tori called after him. “Don’t quit!” She didn’t think he was serious, but if he wanted a scene, she could play along. “Just--what do you want us to do?”

“Be more open minded,” Sikowitz said. “You’ve all gotten so good at saying no. I dare you to spend the rest of this day saying yes.”

“To everything?” asked Cat.

“That’s right,” he confirmed.

“I’m in,” said Rex. “Jade, will you kiss me on the mouth?”

Tori tightened her grip on her girlfriend’s arm, just in case she felt compelled to fling Rex out the window. Actually, she was kind of feeling the urge, herself.

But Sikowitz clarified. “You don’t have to say yes to kissing or anything dangerous or illegal. But everything else? Just say yes.” As far as final projects were concerned, this was pretty easy. “Will you?”

The class agreed, then the bell rang. Cat began to ask if anyone wanted to buy one of her pajelehoochos but Jade had Tori by the wrist and was already pulling her out of the room to safety before the other girl could get the question out.

A little bit later that day, Tori was at her locker and Trina approached her, bragging--once again--about getting cast on _Divertisimo_ , a Spanish language program that apparently wasn’t airing in the US. Tori knew nothing about it except that it was a “high-quality television show with top-notch acting,” or at least, that’s what Trina kept repeating every time the topic came up. Which was a lot, since Trina herself kept bringing it up.

Tori ran into Beck at the Wahoo Punch machine. “So, _Divertisimo_ ,” he started, sounding amused.

“Did she brag about it to you, too?” Tori asked incredulously.

“You mean ‘ _Divertisimo_?’” he said again, emphatically mocking Trina. “Yes, she mentioned it.”

“So what are you doing tonight?” Tori asked.

“Well, I don’t want to step on any toes, here,” Beck started, “But I’m considering tricking Jade. You know, since she has to say yes?”

“Uh, I’m not sure I need to hear this,” Tori started backing away. She didn’t want to be complicit if Beck actually tricked her girlfriend into something.

“No, listen,” Beck continued, following her. “You know how I love drag racing?”

“No,” Tori said simply. She was positive she’d never heard him mention this before.

“Well, I do. And Jade always refused to go to a race with me when we were together. She said it was stupid.”

“Uh, I’m voting with Jade on this one,” Tori replied. Seriously, why was Beck telling her this? Tori did not need to be involved.

“Don’t care,” Beck brushed her off, “There’s a big race tonight, and Jade is gonna go. I’ve had these tickets for months, and well…” he shrugged, “I just think it would be funny to _finally_ get her to go to one.”

Tori had the sense he was asking for her permission, and was being considerate enough to do so without actually phrasing it as a question she had to say yes to. She stalled for a moment, talking about how the bet with Sikowitz would mean Jade had to say yes, and tried to figure out how to get Jade out of this. Because if Beck was going to involve her, that meant she had some power here.

“Hey, Tori,” she heard from behind her. There was Jade. “Remember when you asked me to come over to your house tonight to help you make homemade pizza? Remember that?” Her eyes were desperate.

“Yes!” Tori replied, catching on. And also, because she had to say yes, right? “I remember that.”

“Great, I’ll be over at your house at seven.”

“Wait, I was gonna ask you--” Beck started.

“I already have plans!” Jade told him cheerfully, walking away.

Well, that solved that. Jade had gotten herself out of the situation.

And meanwhile, Sinjin was asking Beck about the drag race. Tori stayed by her locker, opening it unnecessarily since she already had what she needed, just to listen in. And, yep. Sinjin asked the direct question, and Beck said yes.

Sinjin was so excited that he cartwheeled away, and Beck just looked frustrated.

“Great,” he muttered, “Now I’m going on a date with Sinjin.”

“Hey,” Tori glared, “It wasn’t going to be a _date_ with Jade.”

“You’re right,” Beck held up his hands, and walked away looking a little sour.

Tori approached Jade at her locker, “So, you just got yourself out of quite a situation,” she told her.

“Yeah, I know,” Jade deadpanned, “I overheard you two talking.”

“Ohh,” Tori nodded, “I get it now. Well, good, because I was trying to figure out how to get you out of it.”

“Tori, you literally could have just told him you and I had plans,” Jade shut her locker, raising her eyebrow.

“I...could’ve...but also...okay, would it have been so bad?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Jade said emphatically, folding her arms, “I don’t want to go to the drag race because it’s loud, it’s crowded, and it’s boring.”

“Well, we have plans now,” Tori smiled, “Because we both said yes to homemade pizza.”

Jade smiled back, “You’re so lucky you’ve been talking about that for long enough that it was the first thing to pop into my head.”

“I think we should have all the stuff at home already. My mom just went to the store.”

“All the stuff for what?”

“The pizzas!”

“Tori, we’re not actually going to make th--”

“Did you or did you not just tell me you were coming over at seven to make homemade pizzas?”

“Well, yeah. But that was just--”

But Tori didn’t let her finish. “I think you _owe me_ for spoiling _American Voice_. So...You. Me. Pizza. Tonight.”

-

Jade actually wasn’t opposed to making pizzas with Tori, she just still enjoyed the idea of messing with her whenever she could. She dropped Tori off after school, headed home to finish the final draft of her script, then turned back around to return to the Vega house. It was earlier than seven, but that just meant more time with Tori. Maybe she could convince her they didn’t have to _make_ pizza that they could just order one and make better use of their time. But even though she was an hour early, Tori already had the ingredients set out in the kitchen.

“I...see you’re still serious about this,” said Jade, tossing her bag on the couch and beginning to shuck off her leather jacket.

“I’ve only been talking about this for weeks, of course I’m serious,” Tori raised her eyebrows. She was wearing this pink paisley apron that was _super_ cute and domestic on her. Jade let her eyes deliberately run over the outfit.

“Well, have fun with that.” She dropped her jacket on the chair by the door and fished her PearBook out of her bag.

“Jade! The point of this is that we do it together, so you have to help me.”

“Relax, I’m just pulling up a recipe,” Jade eyed her and walked into the kitchen, setting her PearBook on the counter behind Tori’s workspace and searching for a recipe.

“I think I have all the ingredients,” Tori was saying as Jade looked, “The dough recipe I saw was pretty simple and then I have a bunch of stuff we can put on the pizza.”

“Okay, yeah, I found one,” Jade said. “The first ingredient is flour.”

“Okay, I have flour,” Tori said, but was interrupted by Jade coming up behind her and resting her chin on Tori’s shoulder, arms slipping around her waist to hold her. “Um, Jade?”

“Hmm?” Jade lifted a hand to brush Tori’s hair away from her neck and nuzzled the area.

“My, uh...Trina’s home,” Tori already sounded a little breathless.

“Then she’d better stay upstairs,” Jade murmured, trailing her lips up Tori’s neck, nuzzling at her ear with a contented sound.

“Oh, god,” Tori murmured, “Okay, uh...how much flour?”

“Four pounds,” Jade whispered in her ear.

“Okay, four pounds,” Tori murmured, grabbing a couple of flour bags, “So if these are two pounds each...good we have enough. Okay. What next?”

Jade pulled away enough to read the next couple of dry ingredients to Tori, who was struggling to fit it all into her mixing bowl.

“I might need a bigger bowl,” she realized.

“You might,” Jade eyed the dry ingredients. They were already taking up almost all of the bowl, “Because water is next.” She pushed herself flush against the back of Tori’s body, hips pressing into her ass.

“Okay,” Tori breathed, “I’ll use more than one bowl.” Jade sucked lightly on her neck, making Tori steady herself against the counter. “Okay, Jade?”

“Hmm?” she hummed in Tori’s ear.

“You’re not helping.”

“But I am helping,” Jade slid her hands down Tori’s arms, letting them rest over Tori’s hands. “I’m reading you the recipe.”

“You need to take your recipe over there,” Tori pointed at the step between the kitchen and living room with Jade’s hand still on top of hers, “Or we’ll never finish this pizza.”

Jade sighed. “Fine. But only because I want to.”

Jade picked up her PearBook and went to sit on the step. “How much water?” Tori asked her.

“Uhh…” Jade read over the recipe again. Had she really told Tori four pounds of flour? Looking at it now, it was four cups. She read the amount of water to Tori, thinking fast. Well, she was in too deep now to turn back. She searched for how many cups were in a pound of flour and quickly calculated how the water ratio would have to change. She also made sure to definitely order a pizza from one of the places she knew delivered fast. This wasn’t going to go well. She kinda thought it wouldn’t, but...now she’d definitely messed it up.

Tori had already added water to both bowls that she’d split the dry ingredients into. “This...isn’t doing anything, it’s all still just flour,” she reported, stirring.

“Yeah, sorry,” Jade lied on the spot, “I tried to give you what to put in each bowl but I messed up. You need to add like two more cups of water to each bowl.”

Tori gave her a wary look. Jade sat on her step and looked over her shoulder occasionally to see Tori mixing up ingredients in separate bowls, while Jade cruised SplashFace on her alternate accounts, leaving scathing comments. Tori panted and groaned as she stirred, the two messes gradually forming very large wads of pizza dough. She should probably be using a hand mixer, but she just kept going with her wooden spoon. Maybe Jade had neglected to mention the hand mixer part, too. She kept having to add more flour when the dough got too sticky, too. What a mess.

By the time Tori put the wads together, nearly losing her grip on the blob of dough and wrestling it onto the counter, Jade’s pizza tracker reported it was almost here.

“Hey,” Tori said breathlessly, “This seems like a lot of pizza dough. Are you sure you read me the recipe right?”

Well. It took her long enough, but Tori finally realized something was wrong. The trust she had in Jade was something she knew she should feel worse about violating. “Yeah, I said four cups of flour,” Jade said, keeping her tone even.

“You said four _pounds_ of flour!” Tori hollered back.

“Oh. I meant four cups,” Jade grinned.

Tori groaned. “Great.” She grabbed a rolling pin and started on the impossible task of flattening out the monstrous blob of dough. Seriously, where did she think it was all going to go on that little kitchen island workspace? Ugh, but she was so cute fighting with that giant mountain of dough. “Will you get up off your butt and help me make this stupid pizza?” Tori asked, catching Jade staring at her.

The doorbell rang.

“Oop, I think that’s for me!” Jade said, sprinting for the door.

She heard Tori questioning what was happening somewhere behind her. “Who’s here?”

Jade pulled open the door and there was the pizza guy. “Pizza comes to $16.50.”

“Why would you order a pizza when we’re _making_ pizza?” Tori had apparently abandoned the massive monster dough to come yell at her.

“Because I knew you’d fail,” said Jade. Which had been _her_ fault. But that was beside the point, at the moment. “Can I have twenty dollars to pay this guy?” She had money, but this was more fun, given their assignment for the day.

Tori wasn’t about to give in so easily, Jade could tell. “No, you cannot have--”

“Wait, I’m sorry, did you just say no?”

Realization passed across Tori’s face. “I--”

“‘Cause I think if Sikowitz were here, he might say, ‘Oh, someone sounds like a Negative Nancy,’” Jade said, impersonating their teacher. Now Tori’s face was all scrunched up as she fumed over the fact that Jade had the upper hand. “So, _one more time_ , can I have twenty dollars?” Reluctantly, Tori pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket (which she just had in there?), though she felt the need to wave it around before handing it to Jade. “Give it to me,” she said waiting for Tori to finally hand it over. Once it was in her hand, Jade smirked at Tori, though it was really more of a smile, albeit a satisfied one.

“Thanks,” said the delivery guy. “Hey, you girls are pretty, Maybe--”

Jade slammed the door in his face. She set the pizza on the coffee table, preparing for some kind of retaliation from Tori, especially considering that her girlfriend was giving her major WTF face at the moment.

But before they could even get into it, Trina paraded down the stairs, announcing herself. “Hi, girls. Sorry, but I can’t stay.”

“Good,” said Jade, hoping she would go away very quickly and leave them alone in the house.

Trina started bragging about her stupid television show again, just like she had been all day at school.

“We know,” Tori said, even more exasperated with Trina than she had been with Jade about the whole pizza thing. Trina continued to repeat herself and Tori asked, “Well, did you get me a copy of an episode yet so I can see it?”

“Ow,” Trina said, suddenly.

“What?” asked Tori. Jade didn’t care what was happening. If Trina was in pain, she’d likely brought it on herself.

“My shoulder hurts. Is there like a bruise or something?”

“Ew!” cried Tori. Wait. That sounded like something Jade maybe wanted to see. “Ugh, you have a huge pimple. Or a small volcano.”

“I have a pimple?” Trina cried.

But then Jade caught a glimpse of it and immediately regretted it. “Possibly the most disgusting pimple I’ve ever seen.” Seriously, it was so bad that she dropped her pizza. How was she supposed to eat with _that_ right in her face?

Now Trina was panicking. “Well, it hurts! Somebody do something?”

“Jade,” began Tori. Oh no. No way. Not ever. Not at all. “Will you please pop Trina’s shoulder pimple?”

“No!” If Jade was going to get involved in anyone’s weird body abnormalities, it would be on her own time and because she wanted to. “Absolutely n--”

But Tori was on her feet ‘bup bup bup-ing’ and waving a finger at her as she now impersonated Sikowitz. “Is someone being a Negative Nancy? Or a Whiny Willie?”

“You cannot make me pop her--”

“We made a deal with Sikowitz,” Tori reminded her, all while doing some kind of annoyingly cute curtsy thing with her apron as she sat back down. “Should I tell our whole class that you couldn’t handle it?” Oh, low blow, Vega. Tori knew Jade took pride in being one of the better actors in their class.

“Will someone please just pop my pimple?” screamed Trina.

“Will you, Jade?” asked Tori, laying on a layer of faux-sweetness when really she was being a real gank about the situation. Not that Jade maybe didn’t deserve it given the whole _American Voice_ incident earlier that day.

Fine. She could face her fate. “Yes.” And before she could second-guess herself, Trina was turning her gross horrible awful pimple toward her.

It was over in a second but Jade was fairly certain this would revisit her as some kind of nightmare. As Trina flitted off to her stupid show, Jade rushed to the kitchen sink to wash her hands.

But just as she had finished--because she was _really_ scrubbing her hands, taking her time to make sure they were clean--Tori came up behind her, pressing her full body against Jade’s back, hands gripping either side of the counter next to Jade.

“So,” Tori drawled in her ear, “First you tell me you knew I’d fail at pizza, and then you made me pay for pizza you ordered. What’s up with _that_?”

Jade licked her lips, remembering the way she’d teased Tori when she was trying to make pizza, and realizing this was her comeuppance. “Well, I was hungry, and I was right, because all you managed to make was a blob, and I got us a perfectly good pizza in the living room.”

Tori laughed, but it had a wicked edge to it, “You’re _really_ testing me today,” she growled playfully.

“I told you. Trial by Jade, remember?” Jade turned in Tori’s arms, facing her. Tori’s expression was steely, intense, but she was smirking, letting Jade know that although it was probably true that Tori was frustrated with her, she wasn’t actually angry. “And...I also may have realized I told you to use way too much flour, so...that’s why I knew you’d fail.”

Tori head jerked back and she glared at Jade. “I’m sorry. You _knew_ you’d messed me up and you didn’t say anything until I was fighting a giant blob of dough?!”

Jade shrugged, feeling mischievous, enjoying the frisson of tension that was passing between them, with Jade still pinned bodily at the sink, between Tori’s arms. “You’re the one who wanted to make pizza so badly. I figured I’d just cut out the hard parts and get to where we could just eat.”

“While making me pay for it,” Tori’s face was close to hers again. “You are _so frustrating_ sometimes.”

Jade almost rolled her eyes. Tori was just figuring this out? “I told you, some days, you just have to deal with me.” She took a chance and let her hands rest on Tori’s hips, welcoming her closeness. She was still wearing that apron. Why was that so sexy?

Tori’s face softened slightly, but then her steely resolve was back, “Maybe you’re right,” she murmured, and then her lips traced Jade’s jaw, bypassing her mouth entirely, until she reached her ear, “But I kind of like it,” she revealed.

Jade let out her breath as one of Tori’s hands lifted to brush Jade’s hair away from her neck, her mouth caressing newly exposed skin. Jade realized that she could have tried to wriggle away from Tori, before her hand resumed its place on the counter edge, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to hold onto Tori’s hips and let her mouth work magic over her skin, wanted Tori’s leg to gently slide between Jade’s, just remaining there suggestively, as Tori pressed their upper bodies closer, lips back on Jade’s jaw, their path culminating in a full, passionate kiss when her mouth finally met Jade’s.

And Jade would have been fine staying there, pinned against the kitchen sink, no one home but herself and Tori, except that, as eager as she was to see where this could go, she couldn’t quite ignore the fact that she was _hungry._

She turned her face just enough to disengage kissing, and Tori’s lips sought her neck again, her lower body leaning closer, more deliberately, thigh lifting Jade’s skirt. Jade weighed her options once again, but a low rumble of hunger in her belly decided for her. “Tori,” she murmured.

“Hmm?” Tori hummed against her skin.

“I’m... _so hungry_.” The needy way she whined it almost felt like innuendo, but Tori clearly didn’t take it that way, because she pulled back, looking concerned.

“Oh,” she said breathlessly, “I guess that’s probably also why you ordered a pizza.”

“Yeah,” Jade admitted. Realizing just how long homemade pizza was going to take had been part of her motivation, and the flour mishap certainly hadn’t helped with preparation time.

Tori pulled away with a final kiss to Jade’s nose. “Come on then,” she said, switching gears so quickly that it felt like whiplash for a second, “Let’s eat.”

They made their way back to the couch, sitting next to each other this time. Tori grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, while Jade selected a new slice of pizza from the box; the one she’d dropped on the floor was gone, presumably cleaned up by Tori.

“Oh, god,” Tori said as she saw what was on, “This is why I wasn’t able to watch _American Voice_ last night, because my mom and Trina were watching _Real Housewives of Van Nuys_.”

“Ew,” Jade wrinkled her nose, “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Tori sighed, then pointed at the screen, “Mostly because of her.”

Jade eyed the woman on screen, who was shapely and blonde. “Okay...again, I ask, why?”

“That’s Bambi Sterling,” Tori replied distastefully, “She and my mom have been feuding for...I don’t know, their whole lives, probably. I think she married one of my mom’s ex-boyfriends...that was a few husbands ago...and my mom claims she stole one of her cannabis treats recipes.”

“Wow,” Jade commented, eyeing the screen with a little more interest. “So she’s your mom’s nemesis.”

“Pretty much,” Tori sighed, “What do you want to watch?” She wiped her hands on a paper towel and picked up the remote again.

“This,” Jade replied, still fixated on the screen.

“ _Really_?”

“Yeah, I need to see your mom’s nemesis in action. You know. Learn how Holly Vega ticks.”

“You’re weird,” Tori replied, setting down the remote.

-

Before they’d finished the pizza, Tori’s mom came home, carrying a shopping bag. “Hi, girls,” she said distractedly, “What’re you--oh. Is this a new episode?”

“I don’t know,” Tori replied.

Holly scrutinized the TV for a moment, expression souring when Bambi came on screen. “No, I’ve seen this one,” she decided. “What are you two up to--Tori!”

“I know!” Tori called back, “I’ll clean it up.”

“What even _is_ this?” Holly asked.

“Pizza dough,” Tori replied, a little defensive.

“Why is there _so much of it_?”

“You’ll have to ask Jade that,” Tori replied, poking at Jade’s side.

“We accidentally quadrupled the recipe,” Jade explained, “And then ordered pizza.”

“Well, make sure you don’t leave the kitchen like this,” Holly sounded exasperated. “And maybe put away the perishable ingredients you’ve just left sitting out?” She cast a wary glance of motherly displeasure at the pair of them before taking her shopping bag upstairs.

Tori took one more bite out of her last slice of pizza, unsure if she could even eat any more of it, and got up to at least put the rest of her ingredients from her failed pizza away. She left the dough blob, though, unsure of whether to try to salvage it or just roll it into a trash bag and throw it away. But she finally took off her apron, because she figured they were done trying to cook.

She got back to the living room as _Real Housewives of Van Nuys_ was ending and sprawled across the couch, grabbing a pillow to put on Jade’s lap so she could rest her head there. Jade stroked her hair as they let the TV play, not really caring what was coming on next when they were snuggling together on the couch.

Or at least, Tori didn’t care, but it turned out Jade did have an opinion, which she voiced a few minutes later. “Can we watch _anything_ else?”

“You don’t like _Celebrities Underwater_?” Tori looked up at Jade in mild surprise. For trashy reality TV, Tori thought it was pretty funny.

“No,” Jade spoke as if Tori should already know this, then elaborated angrily, “Because they make you think that the celebrities are going to drown, but then they _never_ do!” She waved her hand above Tori’s head for emphasis.

Whoa. Okay, Jade did have strong feelings about this show. But now her hand was back to gently stroking Tori’s hair, which was so nice. Tori sighed, definitely not wanting to get up. “Let’s see what else is on,” she said reluctantly, sitting up to grab the remote.

“Go to the guide,” Jade directed her.

“I know how to do it,” Tori replied in mild annoyance. This was her house, after all. She sat up next to Jade and turned on the guide.

“No. No. No. Boring. No news. No.” Was Jade just going to veto everything? Tori gave her an exasperated look. But then Jade said, “Wait, wait, go back, go back.”

“Why, what?” Tori asked. Jade’s face was abruptly very focused on the TV.

“Just go up more, there!” Jade was definitely excited, “Look! The Spanish language channel.”

When Tori finally stopped focusing on her girlfriend’s excitement, she was able to take in what they were looking at. She gasped, “ _Divertisimo_! That’s Trina’s show!”

“I thought it wasn’t on in LA.”

“That’s what she said.”

“Well, turn it on!”

“I know how to do it!” Tori said again. They were both invested now, anyway, excited to see what Trina had been bragging about.

And there was Trina, dressed as a wedge of cheese, being chased by little children dressed as mice, begging them in Spanish not to eat her.

Tori paused the program, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. She and Jade exchanged a bewildered glance.

“ _That’s_ the show Trina’s been bragging about?” Jade asked in astonishment.

“She said it was ‘high-quality television with top notch acting,’” Tori mocked her sister. This was _so weird_. This was delightful.

“She’s a giant piece of cheese,” Jade deadpanned.

“That fibber!” Tori was irritated now. How dare Trina brag about a show like this and then refuse to let Tori see it?

“What studio does she film at?” Jade asked, looking like something had just occurred to her.

“Hollywood Bronson, why?”

At this, Jade launched into her uncanny impersonation of Sikowitz. “Shall we go down there and pay Trina a little visit?”

Tori stood up, already chuckling at her girlfriend’s deviousness. “Indeed we shall,” she replied in her own Sikowitz-voice.

They were both up and moving out the door without further thought.

When Tori slid into Jade’s passenger’s seat, it occurred to her that with all the discourse about _American Voice_ the night before, that she hadn’t mentioned her driving test.

“Oh yeah,” she said as Jade turned out of her driveway, “My driver’s test is tomorrow afternoon.”

Jade glanced at her, “That soon, huh?”

“Yeah,” Tori replied, “Do you think you could come with me?” Tori realized as she said it that she was putting Jade in a position of having to say yes, but then--

“Sure,” Jade said easily.

“Thanks,” Tori said, relieved. “If it’s okay with you, maybe--”

“Vega, I know you want me there for my car.”

Tori’s mouth dropped open, “That’s not the _only_ reason!”

“Listen, I get it,” Jade spared her a glance and a smirk, “I wouldn’t want to parallel park with your dad’s SUV, either.”

“So then, are you saying...that I can use your car?”

“Of course,” Jade assured her, “You already grazed a wheelchair with it and it’s no worse for wear.”

“Only because you screamed at me!” Tori threw up her hands, then folded her arms.

They were both quiet for a moment, until they got to a stop sign. “Hey,” Jade poked Tori’s leg.

“What?”

“I’ll be there for moral support or whatever,” Jade said with a frown, eyes on the road as she continued driving.

“Uh, thanks?” Tori replied, but she was smiling.

“It’s also pretty exciting that you’ll finally have your license.”

“I haven’t even taken the test yet.”

“Yeah, but,” Jade shrugged, “I think you’ll pass.”

Tori smiled. It was a small thing, but Jade’s belief in her definitely meant something.

They were able to get into the studio pretty easily. It was a small studio, and Tori simply claimed her name was Crystal Waters and that they were there for Trina. Name dropping someone who was actually working seemed to help, and Tori and Jade crept to the soundstage where they could hear Trina performing.

Maybe _performing_ was generous. When they spotted her, she was standing in the middle of the soundstage in her cheese costume being surrounded by the children in mouse costumes as a band sang in Spanish. The director eventually called “cut” and sent everyone one a break. To Trina’s credit, she actually thanked and congratulated the other performers, a level of professional courtesy Tori hadn’t seen from her sister in any school productions. Was it possible that Trina was actually _good at this_?

That didn’t stop Tori from wanting to give her a hard time for bragging about this to everyone in their entire school. As Trina approached, Tori and Jade emerged from behind the set curtain where they’d been watching. “That was a great scene, Trina,” said Tori, clapping with sarcasm. The look on Trina’s face was what Tori imagined _she’d_ looked like that day she’d forgotten to plug in her headphones.

“Really high-quality television,” added Jade.

“Muah!” Tori threw out a chef’s kiss. “Top notch acting.”

Jade’s eyes lit up in delight at Trina’s humiliation which probably just fueled Trina’s obvious irritation. “Why are you here? Get out!”

“No! We wanna watch you act,” declared Tori. God, she was loving this. After months of interruptions and tattling, this was perfect payback.

“Yeah,” smiled Jade. “Does lady cheese-boob get away from the hungry mice children?”

“Trina,” the director approached them and Tori worried their tormenting of Trina might be cut short. “Are these your amigas?”

“No!” Trina was visibly shaken over all of this. “This is my mean sister and her rude friend!”

“Hey!” shouted Jade. “Do _not_ call me her friend.”

It was a fleeting moment in this bizarre exchange, but it wasn’t lost on Tori that the motivation behind Jade’s insistence that they weren’t friends had drastically shifted over the last several months.

“Well, whoever these señoritas may be, you are both muy pretty,” said the director.

Tori accepted the compliment with a, “Thank you.”

“Gracias,” chimed Jade.

“We’re just visiting,” Tori explained, realizing that maybe they should leave soon so the production could continue without their interference.

“Listen, we’re about to film our next scene. Would you like to be in the show with Trina?” he asked.

“Why her?” Trina questioned, offended.

Okay, yeah, no. Tori was ready to go. “Thank you, but I’d really--”

But then Jade, who apparently _still_ wasn’t done testing her patience today, interrupted with a series of “bup, bup, bups” and then, “Remember the deal with Sikowitz,” she reminded.

That had to be over by now, right? It was technically still the same day, but they’d both said “yes” to plenty of things by now. “I don’t want--”

“You _have to_ do it--”

“But I--”

“Tori--”

“I’m not--”

“Just say _yes-_ -”

 _Dammit_. Jade was right. She had to say yes. “Yes,” Tori relented. “I will be in the next scene.”

“Wonderful!” enthused the director.

But if Jade thought she was doing this alone...Tori pointed to her girlfriend. ”Can she be in it, too?”

Jade’s face quickly dropped from its smug expression into one that clearly read as, “ _oh chiz_.”

-

For the second time in her life (and, let’s be real, if she wanted to be a working actor in Hollywood, it likely wasn’t the last) Jade West was trying to wrestle her boobs into a food costume. This time it was a wedge of cheese.

“Need help?” Tori offered. She was wearing the same thing, though she didn’t have the same struggle.

“How did your sister even get this on? Hers are bigger than mine.”

“You know, Trina’s boobs are not something I really try to think about,” Tori said.

Jade allowed Tori into her personal bubble as she tried to maneuver the cheese suit around Jade’s chest. “Ow.”

“Stop moving.”

“I’m moving because it’s crushing me.”

Somehow, though, Tori managed to shift the costume in such a way and then it slipped right on. Hopefully, it would come off when this nightmare was over. “I really hope you don’t have to cut me out of this thing later.” Tori, despite their tragic circumstances, started laughing. “ _What_?”

“We’d have to use a cheese knife!” Tori said, sounding way too impressed with herself.

But, also she was maybe kind of cute as a piece of cheese and something about her goofy sense of humor made Jade crack a smile. “You’re terrible.”

“Am I?”

“Yes,” Jade said decisively, “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

The scene was horrible chaos. They were given almost no direction except to run from the mice-children wielding giant forks and to scream, and Jade was very displeased about all of it. Maybe if she was given more to work with, she might be more willing to play along. Tori was throwing herself into it, imitating Trina’s over the top histrionics, miming overtly feminine terror and shrieking. But Jade was just trying to avoid getting actually jabbed by a child, hoping every second that they might call cut.

It fell apart pretty quickly. First, Jade almost fell in the ridiculous heels they’d put her in, nearly stumbling into Trina, and just after that, one of the mice-children actually stuck a giant fork in her. It wasn’t as though it could actually hurt, given the costume and the prop, but by then, Jade had absolutely had enough of the most irritating scene she’d ever worked (and she’d done a _lot_ of ridiculous scenes for Sikowitz). She snatched the fork out of the child’s hand and chased him off the stage, hearing Tori and Trina continue with hysterics until the director called cut and one of the crew members grabbed her (by her cheese-boob, no less) to stop her from murdering a child with a cheap prop fork.

After everyone had calmed down and she and Tori were allowed to change out of their costumes, they offered Tori more work, should she ever want to come back, and politely thanked Jade for her time. Then, they were each handed a fifty dollar bill, and they were on their way (Trina, evidently, had more scenes to shoot).

“Were they...supposed to pay us in cash?” Tori wondered as they got into Jade’s car.

“Nope,” Jade replied, “Also, we’re minors.” And they weren’t union actors, but that was beside the point.

“Yeah,” Tori said slowly, “Everything about that was a little sketchy, huh?”

“Yeah, but we made an easy, if degrading, fifty bucks, so I’m not going to complain,” Jade replied.

“Very true,” Tori replied.

And instinctually, Jade drove to the overlook, because she wasn’t ready for the night to end, and she was pretty sure Tori wasn’t, either. When they parked, Jade moved to turn on the Spanish language station, which was playing a particularly playful mariachi song.

Tori cocked her head, “This song...kind of reminds me of being cheese.”

“Yeah, okay,” Jade switched the radio off, “We’ll stick with PearTunes tonight.”

They ended up outside of the car, Tori sitting on the hood and Jade in front of her, Tori’s arms wrapped around her while they gazed down at the city lights. It was an easy intimacy, affectionate and warm, and Jade reflected on how she had absolutely challenged Tori all day, and definitely made Tori deal with her, in a way that made Tori eat her words from the afternoon before.

But she also knew that Tori had loved her all day. And the part of her that was used to asking if her partner still loved her, seeking that validation, needing that reassurance, was quiet. Because there was no doubt that Tori did.

“You know,” Tori said quietly, “Almost everything we said yes to today turned out to be a total mess, but I still had fun with you.” She nuzzled at Jade’s neck through her hair, pressing a kiss to the area.

“Me, too,” Jade murmured, pressing herself back against Tori just a little more. Tori’s arms squeezed around her for a moment, and Jade wrapped her own arms around Tori’s. “Though I don’t really think I learned much from this assignment except definitely say no to homemade pizza and weird television studios.”

Tori squeezed again, tighter this time, in retaliation for the pizza comment, until Jade wheezed out a laugh. But then Tori’s tone was affectionate as she said, “Sometimes it works out for us, though.” Jade cocked her head a little, waiting for Tori to elaborate. Tori rested her chin on Jade’s shoulder and said, “Because I’m really, really glad I said yes three months ago when you asked me out.”

Warmth bubbled through Jade, and she sighed contentedly in Tori’s arms. “Me, too,” she told her softly, “But I said yes first.”

Tori’s head shifted, like she was trying to get a look at Jade’s face. “What do you mean? When?”

Jade smirked, “I said yes to half of that weed cookie you ‘accidentally’ brought to school.”

“It _was_ accidental!”

“Yeah, well, still. That kind of set us on this path, didn’t it? I’m glad I said yes to your drugs, Vega.” Jade still didn’t know why she’d invited Tori to kiss her that day in the library, either, but she was glad Tori had said yes to that, too.

Tori made a little huffing sound for a moment, but then she was laughing, holding Jade lightly, and kissing her shoulder.

“And I _am_ actually sorry about spoiling _American Voice_ for you,” Jade said, “Well, kind of. I did warn you.”

“You did,” Tori sighed begrudgingly, “But you know what? It’s okay. I had more fun with you tonight, anyway.”

She took Tori home before it got too late, since it was still a school night, even if it was the last school night for a while. Tori kissed her goodbye, long and slow, leaving Jade giddy and breathless when she finally went inside. As much fun as she’d had pushing Tori buttons all day, eliciting strong reactions and creating that combative tension she knew excited both of them, it was these quieter moments she treasured: being held by Tori on the overlook, soft goodnight kisses, the way Tori murmured _I love you_ , the way they would text each other up until it was time to fall asleep.

And so it was no surprise to see that she had a text from Tori when she parked in front of her own house.

**My mom is so mad about the pizza dough**

Jade couldn’t resist chuckling. This was going to be good.

**Oh, yeah. We just kind of left it there, huh?**

Jade let herself into the house, avoiding more than a greeting with her mom, who was watching TV anyway. _Real Housewives of Van Nuys_. Of course. She wondered if her mom knew Bambi Sterling.

**I thought maybe I could salvage it somehow**

**But I just ended up rolling it into a garbage bag**

Jade kicked off her boots and sprawled on her bed to reply.

**So are you in trouble?**

**I don’t think so?**

**It’s so hard to know with my parents**

**Also throwing away that dough was...weird**

**How so?**

**I don’t know**

**Forget it**

**Tori**

**Don’t make me beg**

**Not that I would**

**Fine ok**

**It felt like throwing away a baby**

“ _What_?!” Jade whispered to herself in horror and fascination, shaking with quiet laughter as she typed her reply.

**I know we made it together, Vega**

**But it’s not that big of a deal**

**NO**

**Just like the size and shape of it**

**I don’t know it was really weird**

**I never should’ve mentioned it**

But she had, and now Jade could laugh about it forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Love Story_ by Taylor Swift.
> 
> This chapter takes place during the episode:
> 
> Victori-Yes (4.13)
> 
> **Next time on Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> Tori knew that every time she looked at her driver’s license, she would remember how horny she was when this picture was taken, because of kind of sort of having sex with Jade in the janitor’s closet.


	12. It's the magic that's in your touch, it makes everything mean so much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, it's very much rated M.

It was the last actual day of classes, though any tests or final projects had already happened earlier in the week. Today was the final chance to hand in assignments and extra credit, but Tori was caught up on everything so really it was just about showing up. She wanted to look cute, so she settled on a dress, the black floral one Jade had specifically commented on when she’d worn it before.

“Wow, you’re really taking this last day of school thing seriously,” Jade said, when she got in the car.

“Meaning what?” Tori asked.

“Just the whole teacher vibe, again.”

Tori shrugged, “I just wanted to look nice. Plus I know you like this dress.” Jade snickered, and Tori second-guessed herself. “Wait, _do_ you like this dress?”

“Oh, yes,” Jade murmured.

“I thought so,” Tori smirked, “Even though you call it my teacher dress.”

“Guess I’m hot for teacher,” Jade teased.

“Speaking of hot,” Tori drawled, letting her fingers run down Jade’s bare arm as she leaned in for a kiss.

Jade chuckled against her lips, “Hey, I just got dressed like normal,” she said when they parted.

“Uh huh,” Tori replied, eyes fixated on the cleavage the low neckline displayed. Jade was wearing a sleeveless, low-cut black lacy dress, tights, and black boots. It was very Jade, but also, what a way to end the school year.

It was another morning in which it was hard for Tori to keep her hands to herself, though she made an effort as Jade navigated the windy, narrow streets of the Hollywood Hills. The closer they got to Jet Brew, though, the more Tori’s fingers were making contact with Jade’s skin.

It was almost like back when they were just kissing, or newly going out, the way that Jade pulled the car into park as soon as they were in the drive-through line, and leaned over the center console to grab Tori’s face and draw her in for a kiss. Tori hummed appreciatively into the kiss, pressing closer, hands in Jade’s hair. The heat and passion flared quickly, but too quickly, since Jade had to stop kissing her to pull up to the speaker and order. Still, it was enough that Tori’s heart was beating with joy, and she grinned all the way through the drive through lane.

At school, it was more of the same, the flagrant kissing at their lockers. Tori didn’t think she could stop if she wanted to. Jade looked _so good_ , and she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off of Tori, either. Tori was actually late to her first class because of their inability to stop kissing at Jade’s locker. Not that she really cared. Classes today were a joke, basically large study halls for most of the students except the few who had to make up or finish assignments. It was chaos. When she wasn’t chatting with Cat during first period, she was texting Jade.

And during morning break, they were kissing at Tori’s locker without a care in the world, at least until Lane approached them.

“Come on, seriously? I could still give you detention,” he sighed.

“You won’t,” Jade replied, gazing at him over Tori’s shoulder. “You don’t want to stay late today, either.”

“Don’t push him,” Tori warned her, turning in Jade’s arms to smile at Lane. “We’ll behave,” she promised.

“It’s just one more day,” he told them, “I’m sure you can do it.”

“I’m sure we can,” Jade replied, her voice dropping so low and quiet that Tori was sure only she heard it. It made her shiver with delight.

They at least waited until Lane was out of sight before starting up their kissing again, and Tori was late to her next class, too.

At lunch, Jade approached Tori at her locker. Not that there was much left in Tori’s locker at this point, but it was still a habit to exchange her notebooks on the off-chance her teachers decided they needed to actually teach. “You have what you need?” Jade asked.

“Um, I think so,” Tori shut her locker.

“Good.” Jade grabbed Tori’s wrist.

Tori almost asked where they were going, but Jade dragged her to the janitor’s closet so quickly that it was pointless. Jade herded her inside, followed, shut the door, and pushed Tori against it too quickly for Tori to even try to react to anything.

Tori moaned, grasping onto Jade’s upper arms as Jade pinned her bodily to the door, arms on either side of Tori’s head. Jade’s mouth was relentless as it chased Tori’s kisses, tongue seeking Tori’s, teeth nibbling her lower lip, one hand slowly following the curve of Tori’s torso from the side of her breast down to her hip. Tori felt the tension of the fabric of her skirt as their lower bodies sought contact, and whimpered helplessly, with only the sense to hold onto Jade, letting her fingers seek the skin under the shoulder straps of Jade’s dress.

Jade’s hand was traveling lower, and Tori could feel light fingers running down the outside of her thigh as Jade kissed her fervently, chest pressed soft and full against Tori’s, until her fingers grazed the bare skin just below the hem of Tori’s dress. Tori tipped her head back, needy, as Jade’s hand retraced its steps, this time below her skirt, sliding smoothly up Tori’s skin until she was grasping her waist.

Tori gasped as she stared at the ceiling, comprehending nothing she was seeing, as Jade’s mouth covered the skin of her neck, her hand gripped Tori’s hip firmly, her thumb sweeping over the sensitive skin above Tori’s hip bone. All Tori could do was hold on as, with her skirt half hiked up, Jade’s thigh was able to make some tentative contact between Tori’s legs, and Tori’s head swam as her pulse roared through her body, audible in her ears, pleasure flooding her veins.

Tori was beginning to consider that she might actually want to have sneaky sex in the janitor’s closet. But they couldn’t have sex at school. Could they? They would certainly get caught. She tried to speak, “I…”

Jade grunted into the skin of Tori’s neck, fingers tracing the edge of the waistband of her panties dangerously. Tori had the sense that she wouldn’t be able to stop Jade if anything actually started to happen, and she melted against her, _fuck_ , something might happen.

Jade pulled away, breathing heavily. Tori’s eyes were drawn to the perfect cleavage in front of her as it rose and fell with Jade’s breaths. Jade’s hand slipped out from under Tori’s dress, and Jade smoothed her hair back from her face. “Come on,” she murmured, “I’m hungry.”

 _Really_? Tori was still slumped against the door, hands now uselessly at her sides, trying to catch her breath. She felt like her knees might buckle if she tried to walk, she was so aroused she felt like a wet noodle. Jade smirked at her, and finally Tori said breathlessly, “Okay, give me a minute.”

In answer, Jade took her wrist and pulled her away from the door into a hug. Tori sighed and nuzzled into Jade’s neck, willing herself to get control of her libido. A moment later, Jade pulled back, smirking at her. “Might need to fix your makeup and wipe all that lipstick off your neck,” she advised.

Tori dreamily dug through her giant purse for a compact mirror and some wet wipes to do just that, her mind slowly recovering from the intensity of their kisses and the way Jade had just reached up her dress. Jade fixed her own makeup casually, and then a few moments later, Jade took her hand and led her out of the janitor’s closet, and they were on their way to the Asphalt Cafe.

“Is it bad that I’m really considering the spaghetti?” Tori asked, “It’s kind of my last chance to get it.”

“You really want a stomach ache on the last day of school?” Jade eyed her, “And for your driver’s test? No, you’re not getting spaghetti.”

“Fine,” Tori sighed. “I’ll get a burrito.”

When she and Jade joined their friends for lunch, everyone seemed to think they knew exactly why they were late, judging by the way they all exchanged knowing looks. But Tori ignored them.

“So, who’s excited for this weekend?” she asked, hoping to avoid any mortification. Saturday was the Vampire Weekend concert that Andre had bought them all tickets for.

There was a chorus of excitement, and then Rex saying, “I’d rather have tickets to the show in the janitor’s closet ten minutes ago.”

Jade glared at him, then squirted the ketchup bottle in his face.

-

Jade was late to her next class because she and Tori both popped a cinnamon mint after lunch and kissed at Jade’s locker, and her next one for a similar reason. But it didn’t matter. Jade’s classes were all a joke today, anyway. Teachers gave them some idea of what to expect for their final grades, talked to any students who had last minute work, and otherwise basically let them do what they wanted. It was honestly hardly worth showing up, except that Jade got back her final screenplay, and she wanted to see how she’d done on that.

And when she wasn’t talking to someone, reading over her screenplay feedback, or texting Tori, she was thinking about the janitor’s closet. It was maybe a longtime fantasy of hers to have sex in there, the subject of some light dirty talk between herself and Beck when they were dating, but they’d never dared to actually attempt it, knowing it would likely be too messy and conspicuous to get away with. But today with Tori, Jade had been _sorely_ tempted to go through with it.

She’d already been thinking about touching Tori. Like, a lot. She wanted to know how it felt, how Tori would look, the way Jade would feel knowing her touch was giving Tori pleasure. And Tori wearing _that_ dress hadn’t helped. But when the moment came in which Jade had to actually make a decision, she’d paused, her brain automatically reminding her that it wasn’t a good idea, and that she hadn’t actually ever asked Tori if she’d like to have sex at school--and knowing Tori, she probably would be pretty hesitant about it. So Jade had pulled away before she could be tempted further, leaving Tori breathless and flushed and covered with lipstick.

She was thinking about that moment, and even smiling to herself about it, when afternoon break started. She made her way to her locker automatically, even though there was barely anything left inside of it. Though students kept their same lockers year after year, so only Seniors had to completely empty and undecorate their lockers, they weren’t supposed to leave anything behind over the summer after some incident with a forgotten spaghetti taco. But Jade opened her locker anyway, just to make sure she had what she needed.

When she shut it, Tori was only feet away, and moving toward her. She looked intense and authoritative in that stupid dress, and Jade remembered the way she'd writhed against her at lunch with a delicious shiver.

“Hey,” Jade grinned.

“Come with me,” Tori said, and it wasn’t a question, it was a demand.

“Um, why?” Jade asked.

Tori fixed her with a hard expression, grabbed her hand, and started leading her away. To the janitor’s closet. Of course.

Jade smirked as she was ushered inside, “So, tell me--” she started, wanting to actually find out how far Tori Vega was willing to go in the janitor’s closet on the last day of school.

To her surprise, she found herself flat against the door. When had that happened? “I’m not here to talk,” Tori said tersely, pressing her body against Jade’s.

 _Oh_. Jade felt her heart already beginning to thrum wildly as Tori kissed her, her hands on Jade’s shoulders, the ferocious, desperate kisses just spurring Jade further along. All at once, her fantasies about Teacher Tori all came back to her as she comprehended that Tori was _maybe_ about to have sex with her, in school, in that _damn_ dress, and Jade’s pulse thundered with arousal. She wrapped her own arms around Tori, sliding down her sides to grasp her hips, letting Tori deepen their kisses.

But then Tori’s hands were on Jade’s, and she lifted Jade’s hands up over her head, pinning them against the door. Tori’s face nuzzled into her hair next to her ear, making Jade feel warm all over. “Don’t move,” she whispered, and it was definitely an order, and Jade felt her knees grow weak and desire flood her as Tori unpinned her wrists, her own hands moving down to caress Jade’s breasts as her lips traced along her jaw.

As much as Jade wanted to touch Tori, she also wanted to know where Tori was going with this, but it was surprisingly easy to just melt against the door and let Tori’s mouth and hands stroke over her body. In fact, Jade was dangerously aroused, with the way Tori was kissing along the tops of her breasts, hands gripping Jade’s waist firmly, almost possessively, hearing Tori’s light moans of pleasure muffled into her cleavage. Teacher Tori. Janitor’s closet. Last day of school. Everything about this fired through Jade’s brain, fantasy becoming reality, lifting her higher and higher.

Tori shifted closer, hands on Jade’s hips drawing her nearer, and her thigh just barely pressed between Jade’s legs, through her dress, and abruptly, it was enough for Jade, and her body jolted with orgasm, back arching off the door, arms reaching automatically to grasp onto Tori, fingers digging into Tori’s back as Jade shuddered through her short but intense orgasm.

Tori lifted her head from Jade’s chest. “Wow,” she murmured, “I didn’t expect... _wow_ ,” she was trying to hold back a smirk.

“Shut up,” Jade muttered weakly, pressing her face into Tori’s hair.

Tori wrapped her arms around Jade and held her close, chuckling softly. “You’re so...just... _damn_ , Jade.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jade murmured breathlessly. Outside the door, she heard the bell ring, forcing them both to stand up straighter. Jade was trying to decide if she was even going to bother fixing her makeup, but Tori, after straightening her own clothes, was trying to help Jade straighten hers. Jade fixed her eyes on Tori’s chest in that dress, knowing she’d never think of anything else if Tori ever wore this dress again.

They took only a few moments to try to look presentable, and as Tori led Jade out of the janitor’s closet, she was still pretty dazed, awed by what had just happened in there. And for some reason, Beck was super late to class too, because he strolled by them just as they were coming out of the closet.

“Oh, hey Beck,” Tori greeted cheerfully.

“Hey, guys,” Beck replied, though his eyes narrowed, and his lip quirked as his eyes lingered on Jade. Jade knew right away that he knew exactly what had happened in there. Well, no, he couldn’t know exactly, but he knew enough.

 _Not a word_ she mouthed at him as Tori led her away, shaking a finger in his direction.

He held up his hands placatingly, but then shot her a double thumbs up, and with a grin, strolled off to wherever it was he was late to. She and Tori parted ways shortly thereafter with a final kiss, heading to their second to last classes of the day.

Sikowitz’s class was their last class of the day, and the only one where they actually had to do anything. Sikowitz always had a crisis at the end of every semester, doubly so before summer break, and after asking everyone what they’d learned from saying yes, he forced them all into as many crazy acting exercises as possible before the bell rang for the end of the day. Jade gravitated to Tori, slipping a hand into hers as they headed for the school parking lot, amidst the hugs and celebrations of their fellow students. There was still technically one more event, a final showcase Friday evening--Tori was singing something she’d been working on in songwriting class--but for most students, this was it, Jade included. She felt elated as they walked out into the sunny parking lot. She loved Hollywood Arts, but she had summer with Tori Vega to look forward to.

“So, ready for your driver’s test?”

-

Tori didn’t _know_ if she was ready. She thought she was, and after she made Jade come in the janitor’s closet she was _sure_ she was, but now, all she could really focus on was how _horny_ she was.

“I don’t know. I think so,” she told Jade.

Jade cast her a sidelong glance, then looked into her backseat and unlocked the car. “Well, you’d better be,” she said as they slid into their seats, “Because you’re about to go take it.”

Tori smoothed out the skirt of her dress, then buckled her seatbelt. She fiddled with her PearPhone, trying to find a song for the drive to the DMV, but after a moment, she realized Jade hadn’t left the school parking lot yet. “What?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Tori flipped down the visor to check herself in the mirror.

“You’re really...antsy.” Jade observed.

“ _So_?”

Jade still watched her, eyebrow peaked. “So…” She finally turned around to look out the rear window as she backed out of the space. “Last night, I watched this video where a guy had surgery on his cornea…”

Tori frowned. “Oh god, that sounds horrible.”

“It was so cool. They had to cut in--”

“No, I don’t need to know!” Tori cried.

Jade glanced at her with a smirk. “Did it help?”

“Help what?”

“The fact that you’re so keyed up you’re about to launch through the roof of this car?”

“I--” Huh. Okay. Yeah. Sure, she was still fixated on her encounters with Jade earlier that day, but the distraction had allowed the worst of her horniness to dissipate. For now.

“I figure we can get coffee after? I don’t think you need any more stimulants before this test.”

Tori nodded. “Agreed.”

They arrived at the DMV in plenty of time for her appointment. Jade sat with her in the waiting area until her number came up, then kissed the back of her hand. “Break a leg. Or...a tire? Actually, just...pass the damn test, would you?”

Tori walked over to the man who was waiting to administer her test, Jade’s keys in her hand. She didn’t even have time to be nervous as they got into the car and he guided her to the area where she would have to prove she could parallel park.

Actually, the whole test was kind of a blur. She parallel parked well--that was something she probably should have practiced again with Jade’s car, but apparently her dad had drilled the technique into her enough when he trained her with his SUV earlier in the year, so that trying it with Jade’s car was almost easy. And then they were out on the road. It was a part of the city Tori was very familiar with and she felt pretty comfortable navigating the streets as the administrator guided her. And maybe another part of that was Jade’s car, too. She’d spent so much time in this car, it was a comfortable place for her. She didn’t even have time to worry that she might crash Jade’s car and ruin everything.

They drove in a strange pattern down a couple of streets and then the administrator directed Tori back to the DMV. She re-parked Jade’s car, putting it in park and pulling the parking brake, and turned to look at the administrator, who was writing something on his clipboard. He glanced up at her with a tight smile. “All right, let’s head back in,” he said, opening the car door.

Tori was confused. She stepped out of Jade’s car, locked it, and hurried to catch up with the man. “Did I do okay?” she asked.

“Miss Vega, you got a perfect score. You have nothing to worry about,” the man told her calmly.

Relief flooded over Tori. She had passed her driver’s test! She couldn’t believe it. The administrator told her to go sit down and they would call her number when they were ready to take her picture for her license.

Tori made a beeline for Jade, and collapsed in the chair next to her. “Well?” Jade asked her eagerly, “Any vehicular injuries this time?”

Tori grabbed her by her arm, hard, with both hands. “Jade,” she said with barely-contained glee, “ _I got a perfect score_!”

“No way!” Jade’s eyes were huge, “ _Tori_!”

Tori didn’t know how they didn’t just start making out in the DMV, but they restrained themselves, and hugged excitedly instead.

And somehow, Tori’s number got called right away for her to go get her picture taken. Still giddy, with Jade grinning at her side, she stepped up to the line in front of the camera.

“All right, smile,” the DMV worker droned.

Tori directed an open-mouthed smile to the camera, flashing two thumbs up.

The DMV worker sighed, “Close-mouthed smiles only, please,” he said.

Tori flashed a bright grin at the camera. The adjacent screen showed her wild-eyed, ecstatic smile. It would have to do.

Tori knew that every time she looked at her driver’s license, she would remember how horny she was when this picture was taken, because of kind of sort of having sex with Jade in the janitor’s closet. It made giddiness rise in her chest in laughter.

Jade was smiling back at her in a way rekindled the feeling she’d shaken after the surgery story, but then it sparked even hotter when Jade caught a guy checking Tori out and stared him down until he turned back around. They grasped hands on their way back out to the parking lot, but when Tori moved toward the passenger side, Jade tugged her back the other way. “How about you drive us to Jet Brew?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah, you’re a licensed driver,” Jade said, motioning to the temporary license paperwork Tori still clutched in her hand. “I’ve been driving you around for months.”

Tori nodded. “Okay,” she said, heading for the driver’s door and getting back in behind the wheel where everything was still positioned for her from the test.

“Just don’t crash into anything,” Jade said as she clicked her seatbelt into place.

Tori turned and pulled Jade’s face to hers, pressing their lips together in a celebratory kiss. And also maybe to shut Jade up. “Thank you,” she said against Jade’s mouth, then kissed her again.

“For what?” Jade asked, finally pulling back so Tori could begin the drive to the coffee shop.

“Supporting me. The Trial by Jade. Everything.”

“You didn’t seem too thrilled about the Trial by Jade at the time,” Jade mused.

Tori hummed in response, but focused on operating the vehicle, taking all the precautionary steps before backing out of the space. There were a few moments as she took them through the streets to the Jet Brew where she noticed Jade gripping the door or the armrest, but they arrived at the drive-thru unscathed.

Tori driving Jade’s car had clearly been a new and strange experience for them both, and that was only enhanced by the fact that it was now Tori pulling up to the speaker to order for them. “Can I get a large coffee, black, with two sugars, and a medium cinnamon cold brew? Please?” Tori ordered. The order was repeated back, Tori thanked the worker, and drove forward.

She turned to see Jade looking at her with a smirk.

“What?” Tori asked.

“I dunno,” Jade drawled, “There’s just something kind of sexy about you ordering my coffee for me.”

“Well, that’s good, because I know you’re freaking out a little about me driving your car.”

“I’m not freaking out,” Jade denied, “Just...not used to it.” She handed Tori her phone with the app open, ready to pay for their coffees.

“Well, get used to it, because this summer I intend to make up for you driving me all over Los Angeles this year.”

Jade shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but she was smiling about it, too.

Once they had their coffees, Tori drove them home, noticing as she did so that Jade was still gripping the door handle, but with less tension in her forearm.

When Tori pulled into her driveway, she turned to Jade. It was a little odd kissing her this way, on the other side of the center console, but just for a moment, because Jade melted eagerly into her, and Tori pulled her closer, fingers tugging at the soft fabric of Jade’s dress at her hip. Maybe Jade was just that proud of her, or maybe the thrill of Tori driving her car had ignited something in her (had her life flashed before her eyes?), because Jade was kissing her with an eager, restless energy that buoyed Tori right back up to the level of antsy horniness she had experienced toward the end of the school day, when all she could think about was accidentally (mostly) getting Jade off in the janitor’s closet. Aaaand, now she was thinking about that again, about how she barely had to touch her, about how Jade had built them both up earlier to the point that Tori’s passion had gotten her there.

She pulled away from Jade, eyeing her face, clouded with want. “Maybe we can go up to my room. If you think you can be quiet.”

“I’m more worried about _you_ ,” Jade growled in response, making Tori’s heartbeat quicken.

Tori led Jade into the house, but there were her parents, sitting at the dining room table. Tori wanted to brush by them, like she so often did, but then her dad asked, “Well? How’d it go?”

That’s right. They’d want to know about her driver’s test, too. So Tori grinned and told him. “I passed! Perfect score!”

“Well, all right, kiddo!” Tori’s dad enthused, “I knew you could do it.”

“Congratulations!” her mom put in, setting aside her PearPhone, “I think we should celebrate.”

“Palatial Pastas?” David suggested.

“Sounds perfect,” Holly agreed, “Jade, would you like to come with us?”

“I _love_ Palatial Pastas,” Jade said, smiling widely at Tori. There was a look in her eye that suggested she knew the exact torture Tori was enduring. Whether or not Jade was getting a thrill out of it wasn’t quite as clear.

“That...would be great,” Tori said, again trying to tamp down her arousal for what felt like the tenth time that day.

She and Jade followed her parents into the garage so they could ride in the SUV together. Trina had been offered the chance to join them but had refused. That was fine. That meant no one had to listen to whatever obnoxious stories she had about her final week of high school. Once they were all seated, David was about to back out of the garage when he looked at Tori in the rearview mirror.

“Shouldn’t we let you drive?” he asked.

Tori shook her head. “I’m good.” She didn’t think she could manage handling the huge vehicle on top of everything she was feeling. A side glance to Jade showed a smirk on her girlfriend’s face.

Her dad shrugged and continued backing out of the driveway while her mom mentioned something about coupons. She and Jade were seated in the captain’s chairs in the middle of the SUV so all they could do, physically, was hold hands. Which, given Tori’s state, was probably a good idea.

Once they were out of the hills and down on the surface streets, her dad said, “Oh, Tori. I found something for you.” He pointed something out to Holly, who retrieved a CD case from the center console. She opened it and slid the disc into the CD player.

Dramatic music began to play and, after a moment, Tori recognized it as the song from the overlook that she and Jade had danced to. She shot a small smile over to Jade who seemed to still try to be making a connection to the music. Rather than shouting over the music, Tori picked up her phone.

**It’s from that night we danced to the radio**

**My dad was trying to help me figure out what song this was**

**I mean**

**I kinda figured it was something like that**

**Do you even actually speak Spanish?**

**sí**

**quizá debería hacerlo más a menudo**

She could tell Jade was copy and pasting her text to translate it ( _yes, maybe I should do it more often_ ) . To be fair, Tori really needed to practice the language more if she wanted to actually speak it with any serious confidence.

**Okay but menudo is also a soup**

**and so that’s the part I had to look up**

Suddenly, her dad started singing along with the chorus of the song, which made Tori slump down in embarrassment. “Dad, oh my god.” That just made him sing louder. All Tori could do was grab Jade’s hand and wait out the ride to the Palatial Pastas.

For the most part, dinner was uneventful beyond conversation about the driver’s test and the final days of school, so Tori managed to avoid any further major embarrassment. In the car on the way home, though, Jade felt the need to poke at her, just a bit.

**Well this has been a fun double date**

**Why do you do this?**

**What? It was a good time!**

**That’s sexy**

Tori felt herself blush. For as physical as they’d gotten lately, it still really affected her when Jade said stuff like that.

**Still thinking about earlier?**

**At school?**

And that.

**Been trying not to with all the tests and family dinner**

**  
I’ll probably think about it later**

**At home**

Okay, now Tori’s ears were on fire. Her parents were literally two feet away and Jade was texting about...you know...stuff.

**That’s good**

**Nice**

Jade laughed out loud.

**Nice is...not the word I’d use**

Tori was spared from her head erupting in flames by her mom. “Tori, are you ready for your showcase tomorrow night?” The showcases were one of the few events her parents always made a point to attend. Tori figured they’d gotten pretty burnt out from attending all of Trina’s horrible performances during Trina’s first year at Hollywood Arts.

“I think so,” Tori replied, her voice quavering only slightly.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Holly replied.

And then, her dad decided to turn back on the CD he’d found and sing along for the rest of the drive home. At least her parents being embarrassing was consistent.

After parking in the driveway, Tori’s parents headed into the house, attempting to give Tori some privacy to say goodbye to Jade. Tori walked Jade to her car, and then pulled her in for a searing kiss, fully aware of what Jade had implied she’d be doing when she got home, and fully aware of just how thoroughly Jade had teased her that day in the janitor’s closet. Tori, too, was certain she had some things to...take care of, when she got in the house.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jade smirked at her.

“Enjoy yourself tonight,” Tori raised an eyebrow at her.

Jade chuckled, shamelessly. “Oh, I will.”

“Me, too,” Tori told her, turning to hurry to the door before Jade could say anything further. She turned to watch Jade drive away before going back into the house.

Inside, her parents were opening a bottle of wine. Tori wanted to sneak past them, but her mom said, “Come tell us about your test.”

Tori groaned internally, because she kind of already had at dinner, but she recapped it for them again, trying to keep it brief.

“And do you know how you did in your classes yet?” her dad asked.

Tori shook her head. “You know we don’t get our report cards right away. But, I mean, as far as I know I should have As.”

“That’s great,” her mom enthused. They were always harder on her about her grades than Trina, which she used to find a little unfair, but...she guessed that was over, now, with Trina graduating this year.

“So, I hope you’re free Sunday, because we’re going to go pick up your car from Grandma’s,” her mom said.

Tori nodded, excited now. “I’ll be free,” she said.

“And you should really get signed up for the SATs,” her dad reminded her, “Before all the summer slots fill up.”

Tori groaned internally, but she knew he was right. She was dreading taking it, a little. She felt pretty confident about the verbal section, but she worried a little about math. She was pretty good at math in general, but something about geometry had really challenged her, and she’d heard there was a lot of geometry on the SATs. “I will,” she promised. She also wasn’t looking forward to applying for college. She knew she still had an entire year of high school left, but she wasn’t ready for it to be over. Especially not now that she had a hot girlfriend and she was getting a car.

“Anyway, your father and I are going to get in the jacuzzi,” Holly told Tori, “And we’re just so proud of you,” she added.

“Thanks,” Tori replied, as her mom set down her wine glass to go into the downstairs bathroom, where she and her dad tended to keep their swimsuits. “I’m, um, going to go to my room. I might go to sleep early, I don’t know. It’s been a long week,” she lied.

“Okay, kiddo,” her dad said, “Get some rest. Remember, we’re going to pick up your car from Grandma on Sunday.”

Chiz, what was with all the repetition? Parents. They were definitely something else. “Okay,” Tori was already halfway up the stairs, then closing herself in her room. Trina was out, at some graduation party Tori didn’t even know if she was actually invited to, but she didn’t care. She had some time to herself, in her room, and she’d been worked up all day.

But talking to her parents had tamped down her mood some. She was certain it wouldn’t take much to get her wound up again, and she texted Jade, hoping for some inspiration.

**So, are you thinking of school right now?**

She wondered if Jade would even respond. If she was...in the middle of things, maybe not. But what if she did? Tori sat on her bed and grabbed a pillow, holding it to her chest as she saw the ellipses signaling Jade was composing a reply.

**What, like that it’s over?**

**Jade!**

**You know what I mean**

**What we did at school**

**OH**

**Maybe. Why do you ask?**

Tori glared at her phone. This was no time for Jade to be coy.

**Omg**

**What?**

**I’ve just had SUCH a day**

**What do you mean?**

**Oh, I don’t know**

**Maybe my girlfriend left me hanging in the janitor’s closet**

**Got off herself**

**And then I had to take a driver’s test**

**And have dinner with my parents**

**And then I just had to have a conversation about school with them**

**When all I’ve really wanted for hours is to get off**

**...Tori**

**I’m...sorry?**

**So that’s what I’m going to do**

**  
OH**

**Tell me more about that**

**  
No**

**You don’t deserve to know**

Tori put down her phone, far more worked up than she was irritated with Jade (even then, it was just frustration of a particular kind). She stood to take her dress off, picked up her pillow, but then abruptly remembered something: maybe two years ago, she’d bought a body pillow. It was kind of a fad at the time, among her friends at her old school (which, now Tori was starting to wonder _why_...but it wasn’t the right time to think about that) so she’d bought one on a trip to the mall, but decided pretty quickly that it was uncomfortable to sleep with. It had been shoved in the back of her closet ever since.

Tori got up to go retrieve it now. It was a little firmer than her regular pillows, and...yeah, this would work better, she thought, as she took it to her bed with her.

As she picked up her phone to move it, she noticed she had several texts from Jade.

**Tori**

**Tori!**

**TORI**

**Tori you should tell me about it**

**Come on, it’ll be fun**

**...guess what I’m doing right now?**

**TORI!**

Tori grinned, and sent a reply.

**I’m going to enjoy myself alone in my bed right now**

**It’s going to be private**

**But I’ll be thinking of you**

😏<3

With Jade (hopefully) placated, Tori put her phone on her bedside table and curled herself around her body pillow, mind flashing back to the janitor’s closet, flitting back and forth to how it felt for Jade’s hand to travel up her thigh and tease at the waistband of her panties, and how it felt to have Jade pinned to the door, at her mercy until it apparently was too much for her. Jade coming against her. That was _always_ supremely arousing. The idea that it seemed like Jade had _actually_ thought about fingering Tori at school...even if ultimately Tori thought it was probably good that they hadn’t, it didn’t stop it from being a really hot fantasy. She let herself imagine what might have happened if Jade hadn’t pulled away in that moment. She let herself remember how it had felt to kiss all the exposed skin of Jade’s cleavage until she was arching off the door, holding onto Tori helplessly in the throes of orgasm.

As much as Tori tried to savor the experience she’d been longing for all day, her thoughts got her there very quickly, and she gripped her pillow even tighter as she came _hard_ , burying her face into it as she bucked and moaned through her orgasm. She didn’t know how long she just lay there gripping the body pillow in her underwear, recovering her senses, letting herself return to her still shuddering body. Finally, she flopped over onto her back, taking in and letting out a huge breath.

She picked up her phone.

**Fine**

**I’m going to go do something alone in my bed**

**And think of you <3**

Tori melted.

-

Jade hadn’t been dwelling on teasing Tori in the janitor’s closet all day _quite_ the way Tori had. After all, she’d already had an orgasm around that--or at least built on that--in that same closet later on. She certainly hadn’t forgotten, and she supposed she should have realized what an effect it had on Tori.

Although that was on her mind as she lay on her bed, hand in her sleep shorts, she was mostly remembering the second rendezvous in the closet. The one where Tori, in that teacher dress, had ordered her to be still and tortured her with kisses and touches until it brought Jade over the edge.

And even with this text exchange with Tori, there was something undeniably sexy about Tori refusing to tell her what she was doing over there. It felt like Teacher Tori all over again, being a weird sexy authority figure that Jade actually sort of wanted to listen to...sort of. Because she also _really_ wanted to know what Tori was doing. She was imagining all sorts of things, climbing higher with each fantasy.

But ultimately, she settled on a continuation of a fantasy she’d had a few weeks ago, the first time Tori wore that teacher dress, of Teacher Tori bending her over a podium to have her way with her. She barely had time to consider the details of this situation before she was coming beneath her fingers, gasping for breath.

 _Damn_. She and Tori needed to find a way to have sex again, soon. Because Jade had plans.

So much was going on this weekend that there was no time for the two of them to be alone together, however. Friday started with graduation in the early afternoon, which Jade attended with the Vegas to watch Trina graduate, and then Tori had to go right to rehearsal for the showcase that evening. This showcase wasn’t for a grade, it was just an opportunity for students to show some of what they’d been working on this year, often for talent scouts in attendance as well as for family and peers. Tori sang the same song she’d sang on the Chris Burm show, and she sounded great. Jade cheered for her in the audience, obnoxiously loud.

After the showcase, which already went kind of late, they all went to Nozu as a group, and she and Tori only really got some Driveway Time before parting for the evening. But it was some _really hot_ Driveway Time that reminded Jade of just how much they needed to be alone together.

The next day, Saturday, was Vampire Weekend at the Hollywood Bowl. They were all meeting at Tori’s house, and Andre was borrowing his grandmother’s SUV again to take them to the show--it was easier and it would cut down on parking costs. They all arrived in the afternoon for an evening show, Andre drove them through InsideOut Burger so they could eat first and avoid most of the temptation of the overpriced snack bar food at the Bowl, and then they sat in traffic for a long time just trying to get into the venue. Finally, they parked, hit the bathrooms--which already had lines--and then made their way to their seats. They were sitting in some of the upper rows, which was ultimately fine because there were giant screens displaying what was happening onstage, making it easy to enjoy the concert even at a distance.

And then, when it was over, they sat in traffic for even longer trying to get out of the venue.

“I have to pee,” Robbie whined.

“I told you to go before we left!” Andre admonished. His nerves were already frayed because they were probably only fifty feet past the exit of the Hollywood Bowl, and traffic was still absolutely crawling.

“I didn’t have to go then!” Robbie cried.

“Well, this is not my problem!” Andre snapped.

Beck offered Robbie an empty InsideOut Burger cup, but Robbie balked. “I can’t use that!”

“It was just a suggestion,” Beck shrugged.

“I’m pee shy, okay?!” Robbie burst out.

“Oh,” Cat said, “My brother’s pee shy--”

But whatever she was about to say about that was drowned out by the groans of the other passengers.

In the back seat, Jade held Tori’s hand, and Tori rested her head on Jade’s shoulder, as they made their slow journey back to Tori’s house. At least the journey was bearable, Jade thought, with Tori snuggled up to her.

They finally arrived at the Vega house after spending way too long in excruciatingly slow traffic, and then Tori invited everyone in to hang out for a while. They were having a good night welcoming the summer with their friends, so Jade definitely didn’t mind, but as the night stretched on toward midnight, she became aware of the fact that everyone would have to leave, including her, meaning she and Tori would miss another opportunity to be alone together.

Sunday, Tori was going with her parents to get her car from her grandma’s house. Jade kind of wished she’d been invited along for this, but instead she knew that Tori would text her as soon as she was home. She was excited to see what Tori’s new car looked like.

Around two in the afternoon, she received a message saying Tori was on her way back and would be home within an hour. Jade waited about thirty minutes, then figured that was enough time to get from Encino back up into the hills on a Sunday afternoon. When she pulled into the Vega driveway, she saw Trina’s car, but nothing else new, so she assumed they must still be on their way. It was pretty warm given that it was June, so she decided to go ahead and see if anyone was home, hoping beyond hope she wasn’t about to be alone with Trina.

And when Trina answered, the look on her face suggested she had the same feeling about Jade.

“Oh. It’s you,” Trina said, walking away from the open front door.

Jade let herself in and tossed her purse on the couch. “Trust me, it’s mutual.”

Trina snatched up the television remote as if Jade had any interest in it. “Tori isn’t here.”

“Guess I’ll just wait, then.”

They sat on opposite couches while Trina obnoxiously flipped channels and Jade scrolled through The Slap. At least Trina was keeping her mouth shut.

“You know.” _Damn._ “I don’t get it,” Trina said.

“What?” Jade asked, curtly.

“You and Tori.”

“Well, I’m surprised no one’s explained this to you by now. But sometimes two people--”

“I mean, you had _Beck_.” Ugh, of course that was Trina’s angle. “Why would you trade that for my weird sister?”

Okay, that irritated her. “I didn’t _trade_ anything. Not that it’s any of your business but Beck and I weren’t getting along for a while. And Tori…well, Tori’s Tori.”

“But Beck is so hot.”

“And I think Tori can be sexy as hell, so there’s that.”

Trina scrunched up her face. “I did not need to know that.”

“All you’ve done is walk in on us so excuse me for misreading your cues about what you do and don’t want to know about our relationship.”

“I just don’t get it,” Trina repeated.

“ _Who cares_? It’s not for you to get. I love her, she loves me, it’s not about you.”

Trina paused. “You _love_ her?”

“Yeah,” shrugged Jade. It was obvious, wasn’t it? They’d been saying it to each other for a little while now. It wasn’t a secret or anything. “I know, I know. You don’t need to know that,” she said, mimicking Trina’s earlier comment.

“So this is, like, serious.” Trina still seemed to be putting some pieces together.

“Why else do you think we’re around each other literally _all_ the time?”

“I don’t know, because you’re horny and seventeen?” Okay, yeah. That was also part of it. But something appeared to suddenly click for Trina. “I guess it’s kind of cool. That you two are...whatever.”

“Girlfriends.”

“Tori’s a pain in my ass and she’s annoying, but she’s my sister. And you used to be really mean to her. Which, admittedly, was usually funny.”

Jade smirked. “Right?”

“So when you two started...hanging out...I guess I just assumed it wasn’t serious.”

“Well, it is.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“Does this mean you might stop barging in on us? Or are you just trying to see my boobs again. Because I’ll just show them--”

“Maybe I’ll show you mine first!”

That stopped Jade in her tracks. “Okay, this just got really weird.”

“Yep,” Trina nodded. “Sure did. I’m going to my room,” she said, moving for the stairs. “Tori should probably be back any minute.”

Within moments, there was the sound of the garage door and then, a minute or so later, voices on the garage stairs. Holly and David were followed by Tori, all of them buzzing about the new car, Jade assumed. The moment Tori saw Jade across the living room, her face lit up with a bright smile, making Jade feel like just about the luckiest asshole in the world. She bounded over to where Jade was sitting and grabbed her hand. “Come on, I wanna show you my car!”

“Oh really?” That sounded like an invitation to bring Sweet Sally Peaches into the conversation. “You got a car? All your own? Well, I had no idea!” Jade gasped as Tori pulled her up.

David laughed from the kitchen table, but Tori shot him a look. “I don’t talk like that!” And then, her girlfriend was leading her down into the garage where a very plain-looking ten year-old silver station wagon was waiting. “ _Well_ …?” Tori asked, in that sing-songy way she did when she wanted feedback.

“It looks...sturdy,” Jade offered.

That clearly wasn’t the reaction Tori was looking for. “Okay, look at this,” she said, pulling Jade around to the rear of the car and opening the hatch. “Huh? _Yeah_?”

“It’s got a lot of room for hauling stuff?”

Tori rolled her eyes and marched around to the rear passenger door where she opened it and then folded the rear seat down. Making the entire back of the car big enough for the two of them to--

“Okay,” came David’s voice from the stairs. “Toro, you ready for this?” Jade realized she must be hearing the most Dad nickname for Tori ever, but hey, Toro kinda fit. “Jade, you’re welcome to stay, if you want.”

“For what?” Jade asked, glancing at Tori.

“Just the old five point inspection,” David answered. “Which is…”

Tori perked up, “Oh, um, fluids, filters, belts, hoses, and battery.”

Okay, _this_ was a side Jade hadn’t seen before. Auto Shop Tori just might be a new thing to consider. “Yeah, I’m staying for this. Wouldn’t miss it.”

Tori shot her a questioning look, but Jade just smiled back and squeezed her hand before they were called over to begin looking under the hood. By the time Tori walked through all five points, it was time for Jade to head home. Her mom had asked her to be home for dinner tonight since her brother was there for the week. But before she left, Tori invited her into the new car, where they sat opposite of their usual positions when Jade drove. This car, which turned out to be a 2002 Volvo, had a different console and cup holder arrangement than her own. Which meant it was a lot easier to get closer when making out in the front seat. Tori had a handful of Jade’s shirt (she’d watched Tori scrub up with some kind of mechanic’s hand cleaner about ten minutes before, so at least she knew there wouldn’t be any grease spots on her clothes) and Jade had her fingers tangled in Tori’s hair as they kissed until Jade knew she couldn’t delay her departure any longer.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jade said, after Tori had walked her to her own car in the driveway. “Maybe we can see a movie or something. Or maybe check out the back of that station wagon.” She winked at Tori, who chewed on her bottom lip.

“That might not be a bad idea,” replied Tori, eyes diving to Jade’s chest before Jade slipped into the driver’s seat.

“Are you perving on me, right now?”

“Maybe.”

“Good.”

By Monday, she was so ready to meet up with Tori. She had been keyed up all weekend, and felt like she needed to touch Tori or she would suffer physical pain. She was supposed to meet her at this apartment she’d never been to, that Tori assured her was safe, and Jade made her way there. She opened the door, surprised that it was unlocked, and there was Tori, grinning at her, waiting for her.

“Jade, you’re here,” she said.

“Hey,” Jade replied, stepping toward her to kiss her. Tori grabbed her, hands in her hair, kissing Jade fervently as Jade slipped her hands beneath her top, needing to feel her skin. Tori moaned against her mouth, and Jade began to kiss her jaw, but then she noticed someone else approaching her.

She turned to see _another_ Tori, basically identical to the first, standing next to her with an expectant smile. “You made it,” this Tori said happily.

“Uh,” Jade replied. This was weird, but maybe there was an explanation? She turned back to the first Tori, and then noticed two other Toris behind her. Jade started turning in a slow circle and took in the fact that the room was _full_ of Toris, probably at least a dozen of them, and the more she looked, the fewer clothes they seemed to be wearing.

And they were _touching_ each other. But like, rhythmically. Like they were dancing. Breast grab, breast grab. Crotch grab. Kiss. Dozens of Toris in various states of dress, performing what seemed to be a choreographed sexual ritual orgy. A Tori-orgy. Oh god. Jade almost laughed as she realized she was in the middle of a _Torgy_.

Jade turned back to the one she thought was the original Tori, the one she’d kissed, wide-eyed, only to see her furiously kissing another Tori. She knew she should be outraged by this, but instead, she was very turned on.

The first Tori pulled away from the kiss, meeting Jade’s eye. “Join us, Jade,” she said, voice low and breathy.

There was a chorus of murmurs of agreement from the rest of the Toris, and Jade realized they were all starting to surround her, closing in on her. She was ready to melt into the crowd of warm flesh and waiting mouths and was just _ready_ for all those hands to be on her body, but then--

A voice, calling her name. She tried to place it, and a moment later, she snapped awake, disoriented and angry as she realized she was in her bedroom, and her mom was in the doorway of her room.

“ _What_?” she snarled.

“Sorry, honey,” Tiffany replied, “You’re just such a heavy sleeper.”

Jade groaned in response, “ _Why_?” was all she could muster.

“I just wanted to tell you that Jeremy and I are going to Catalina Island today with his Boy Scout troop. One of the other moms can’t make it and they need another chaperone.”

“What _ever_ ,” Jade groaned, turning over in bed to put her back to her mother.

“Well, coffee’s made whenever you get up.” And Tiffany shut Jade’s bedroom door.

Jade shifted, trying to get comfortable. She wanted to go back to sleep and sink right back into that dream with the Tori orgy (the Torgy, she thought again, almost making herself laugh), but she knew it was impossible, so all she could do was dwell on the insanity of her dream.

But then, abruptly, her mother’s words hit her.

She and her brother were both leaving the house. To go to Catalina Island. Which meant a ferry ride and the possibility that Jade’s house would be empty _all day_.

Jade threw the covers off of herself, and began stomping upstairs to the kitchen.

“Wait,” she asked her mom, “What did you say was happening today?” She started pouring herself a cup of coffee, because at this point, why the hell not? She wasn’t going back to sleep.

Tiffany shot her a guilty look, “I didn’t mean to actually wake you up, sweetie. I’m sorry.”

Jade waved her hand, “It’s fine. I just wasn’t paying attention when you told me what was going on today,” she lied.

“Oh, your brother’s Boy Scout troop has this trip to Catalina Island today, and they asked me to chaperone last minute. So we’ll be gone most of the day, might be back around dinner time? Maybe after.” Tiffany was looking through her purse distractedly, as if making sure she had everything she’d need for the day.

“Right,” Jade mumbled, sipping her coffee.

“Any plans for your day?” Tiffany asked.

“Nah,” Jade replied, “Just going to...enjoy my summer vacation.”

“Well, that’s great. There’s some leftover lasagna in the fridge when you get hungry. Jeremy, you almost ready to go?” Tiffany shouldered her bag.

“Yeah,” Jade’s brother said, looking tired but excited and wearing his Boy Scout uniform.

“All right, then. Jade, enjoy your day, honey.”

“You, too,” Jade muttered over the rim of her coffee cup, watching as her mom and her brother left the house.

She hurried downstairs to grab her PearPhone.

**Tori**

**Tori! TORI**

**TORI!**

**WAKE UP**

**WAKE UP RIGHT NOW**

**TORI!!!!**

Jade knew it was earlier than she’d like it to be, but it wasn’t until just now that she noticed what time it actually was. A little bit after eight in the morning. No wonder Tori wasn’t responding.

Jade weighed her options for a few minutes, but ultimately, she decided she couldn’t wait.

She pressed Tori’s name in her contacts to call her.

About four rings later, Tori answered with a groggy, “Hello?”

“Tori? Are you awake?”

“Chiz, Jade? I am now,” Tori’s voice slowly became more alert. “What are you...why are you calling me? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. Everything is _very_ right.”

“What are you talking about? Why are _you_ even awake?”

“Because my mom and my brother are going to be out of the house all day,” Jade revealed in a rush.

There was silence from Tori. Then, “I’m coming over.”

“Damn right you are.”

“I mean. In a little bit. I need to shower and eat…”

“Me, too,” Jade told her, “And drink a lot more coffee. Maybe around ten?”

“I’ll be there,” Tori promised.

Jade drank more coffee and ate breakfast, trying to take her time with her morning, though she kept looking at the clock on her PearPhone or on the microwave. Ten o’clock couldn’t come soon enough. When she finished what was left of the coffee her mom had brewed and started a second pot, she went downstairs to take a shower. She got dressed in silky pajama bottoms and a tank top, figuring she probably wasn’t leaving the house any time soon today. She brought her coffee down to her room, trying to entertain herself on her PearBook for a while. Really, she was just killing time. Why had she told Tori ten? She knew Tori could get ready faster than that.

At about quarter to ten, she went upstairs to refill her coffee cup, but before she made it to the kitchen, her PearPhone buzzed in her hand.

**I’m here**

And moments later, she heard the chime of her doorbell. Tori was at the gate. Jade buzzed her in and opened the door to wait for her.

“Hi,” Tori said, flashing a huge grin and holding up two cups from Jet Brew.

“Look at you,” Jade replied. The sight of Tori, in one of her cute short-sleeved shirts and jeans, carrying coffee, was enough to make a swell of affection rise in Jade. Tori alone would have been enough, but the fact that she brought coffee--and looked so proud of herself for doing so--just made it more acute. She handed the hot coffee to Jade. “You’re kind of the best,” Jade told her, genuinely.

Tori looked very pleased as she came into the house, and Jade greeted her with a kiss. She was still holding her other coffee mug in her hand, so she headed into the kitchen to at least put her mug down. Tori followed. “So, where is your family?”

“My mom is going with my brother and his Boy Scout troop to Catalina Island,” Jade explained.

“Oh,” Tori nodded knowingly, “So that’s at least an hour either way on the ferry, plus driving time, plus whatever they’re doing _on_ the island,” she calculated.

“Long story short, I don’t expect them home until dinner time,” Jade told her, turning to lean against the counter and take a sip of her coffee, watching Tori take a swig of her own cold brew.

“So we really do have the place to ourselves,” Tori said, sounding a little bit awed.

“Yep,” Jade replied, letting the “p” pop at the end of the word, smirking at Tori as she took another sip.

“So...what do you want to do?” Tori asked, batting her eyes a little.

“I thought we’d have a gory slasher movie marathon and then bake cookies,” Jade deadpanned.

Tori tilted her head, “What kind of cookies?”

Jade groaned, “Tori!”

“What? You said it,” Tori smirked around the straw of her cold brew.

“Oh my god. Just come downstairs,” Jade reached for her wrist to draw her along with her to the stairs, letting go as she started to descend.

Once they were in Jade’s bedroom, Jade sprawled on her stomach on her bed, watching as Tori put her coffee down and started taking off her shoes. “What?” Tori asked, noticing her watching.

Jade shook her head. “I had such a crazy dream last night, before my mom woke me up.”

“Oh, yeah?” Tori asked, working her other shoe off.

“Yeah. You wanted me to meet you in this weird apartment, but then when I got there, there were like...a lot of you.”

Tori sat down on the bed next to Jade. “Were any of them doing it with each other?” she asked sarcastically, smirking at Jade knowingly.

Jade turned on her side to face Tori more fully. “Funny you should ask that.” She knew Tori was only asking because she had asked a similar question about one of Tori’s weird dreams. “Yes, they were,” she told Tori, delighted to see that she was shocked.

“ _What_?!” Tori asked, mouth open.

“Mmhmm,” Jade drawled, “It was a Torgy.”

“ _A what_?!”

“You know. A Tori-orgy?” Jade was loving watching Tori turn red even as she looked shocked.

“You are twisted,” Tori said faintly, but then she was leaning into Jade to kiss her.

Jade sat up to meet her more fully, hand sliding into Tori’s hair. Tori settled herself more fully on the bed, drawing her legs up in front of her. Their bodies were facing opposite directions on the bed, which meant it was easy to melt together, with Tori’s arms wrapping around Jade’s body, fingers already slipping beneath the hem of her tank top to find skin.

It was still a bit early in the day, but they had been waiting for this opportunity for so long. So despite the fact that they were taking their time and still letting themselves wake up a little, their kisses bloomed fierce and bright between them, searing hot mouths combining with their slow hands, making Jade moan in her throat and tug Tori closer.

Tori’s hands were flat against the skin of Jade’s lower back, gripping her flesh gently beneath her shirt, then slid slowly toward the front of her body, resting on her ribcage just below her breasts. Jade felt her breath pick up at the suggestion in the placement of Tori’s hands; her own was still tangled in Tori’s hair, the other on the bed to keep her balanced. But she pulled back from the kiss as she felt Tori lifting her tank top, grabbing it to help Tori pull it over her head.

She watched in delight as Tori’s expression softened in awe, her hands sliding delicately up Jade’s sides to grasp her breasts through her bra, mouth parting slightly. But Tori’s shirt was still on, and that had to change, so Jade reached past her gently grasping hands to lift the hem of Tori’s t-shirt, forcing Tori to move to allow the shirt to be pulled over her head, leaving her in the same soft purple bra she’d left at Jade’s house a few weeks before.

Jade smirked about it, but before Tori could reach for her again, she moved, bearing Tori down on her back, her head on Jade’s pillows. Jade hovered over her for a moment, taking in the way Tori’s lips were parted and her eyes darted from Jade’s eyes to her lips to her cleavage, then settled against Tori, feeling the heat of her skin again Jade’s own, and the passion of Tori’s kisses as her eager mouth met Jade’s.

They kissed like that for what felt like a long time, enjoying the sensation of their bodies pressed together, and Jade gradually became aware of the languid motion of Tori’s hips, lifting gently to meet Jade’s, her thigh raising between Jade’s legs. They moved together like that, topless in their bras, kissing and grinding, picking up speed and intensity, and Jade heard the way Tori’s breath started changing, the shaky sigh she released when Jade brushed her hair aside to start kissing down her neck, the way her arms and fingers gripped at Jade’s back.

But as usual, Tori’s belt was getting in the way. Why did she insist on wearing them when they had such hard buckles? Jade lifted up enough to start fumbling with the buckle of Tori’s belt, still kissing her skin, but eventually, she had to sit back on her heels to really start working at it. Tori watched her with a lazy grin. “Belt’s in the way,” Jade explained breathlessly.

“You know,” Tori started, “maybe my pants are what’s in the way.”

Jade paused, glancing up to take in the way Tori was biting her lower lip invitingly, eyes sparkling. “I think they are,” Jade agreed.

Tori’s hands joined Jade’s, working quickly to unbutton her jeans. Jade rolled off of her, taking the opportunity to remove her own pants, getting mildly tangled in her pant legs in her excitement. Tori, now down to her bra and matching purple cotton underwear, helped Jade untangle her legs from her pajama pants, then climbed on top of her, hovering over her.

Jade had a moment to appreciate the situation, gazing down Tori’s body to take in all the smooth skin of her stomach and her lanky limbs, her breasts framed by her purple bra, and then Tori was pressing all that warm skin against Jade’s, shaking her hair out of her face and reconnecting their mouths.

-

Tori couldn’t get close enough to Jade. Even though it was still early in the day and they were moving pretty slowly, especially compared to recent events like the janitor’s closet, the rate at which their clothes were disappearing certainly meant things were heating up.

And speaking of disappearing clothes, Jade looked _extremely_ sexy in her lacy dark green bra and panty set, with her cleavage and all her pale skin and the curve of her hips and...Tori connected their lower bodies as she kissed Jade hungrily, feeling the swell of Jade’s breasts against her own, the way Jade’s thigh lifted to encourage the motion of Tori’s hips, and Tori let out a whimper against Jade’s lips as she ground against her thigh. Jade’s arms tight around her, fingernails pressing lightly into Tori’s shoulder blades.

Tori lifted her face from Jade’s to look down at her, breathing heavily, taking in the glaze of passion in Jade’s eyes. Jade lifted her mouth to meet Tori’s, and Tori drew back, making Jade chase her until one of Jade’s hands tangled in her hair, pulling her back down desperately, Tori chuckling into the kiss.

But as amazing as Jade’s cleavage looked framed in her bra, Tori wanted access to her breasts. She reached under Jade’s back, groping for her bra clasp, Jade arching and wriggling to try to help her. Meanwhile, the hand in Tori’s hair trailed fingers down her spine to her bra, and with a deft move of Jade’s fingers, Tori felt her own bra hanging loose on her body. “Whoa,” she lifted her lips from Jade to murmur, “Smooth.”

Jade smirked back up at her, “Get it together, Vega, it’s not that hard.”

It wasn’t, Tori knew, but so much was happening, with the kissing and the skin and Jade’s thigh between her legs. But Jade’s challenge steeled her focus, and with her attention on the bra clasp, she actually got it undone in a moment, then sat back to slide her bra down her arms, tossing it on the floor.

Jade sat up, letting Tori take her bra for her and toss it away, and then, both still sitting, Tori leaned over to kiss Jade, hands sliding up her body to her breasts, heavy in her hands, hearing Jade inhale with the gentle movements of Tori’s fingers over them. Tori felt Jade’s hands sliding down her back, moving to gently grasp her ass through her underpants. Tori gasped, heat flooding her as Jade’s fingers kneaded her flesh, and she leaned forward, bearing Jade back down on the bed, resuming the motion of their hips, but harder now, wilder.

Jade pulled away from their kiss breathlessly, “Careful now,” she rasped, “Don’t want to move too quickly.”

“Why?” Tori murmured, because she certainly didn’t want to stop.

“Well, first of all, we have all day,” Jade murmured, lifting up to kiss Tori’s neck, fingers slipping beneath the back of Tori’s panties to caress the bare skin beneath. Tori arched into the touch. “And secondly,” Jade started, but instead of speaking more, she lifted a leg to twist Tori onto her back, settling astride her hips and looking down at her. “It’s my turn,” Jade husked finally.

The implications of that already had Tori arching up into Jade’s touch as she ran her hands up her sides to cup them over Tori’s breasts, fingers delicately moving over the sensitive flesh in a way made heat flood through Tori’s body. Jade leaned down closer to her so that her breasts were prominently in Tori’s face. She reached for Jade, trying to coax her back down to kiss her. Jade pulled back, teasing like Tori had done earlier, but Tori was impatient, grabbing Jade’s hair to bring her down for a kiss.

In spite of eagerly kissing Tori back, Jade didn’t stay with her lips long, instead lifting to sweep her own hair back, then brushing Tori’s away from her neck, trailing her lips slowly down her skin until she was kissing Tori’s breasts, her lower body moving down to give herself more access, legs entwined with Tori’s. Tori grasped fistfuls of Jade’s hair as she felt lips, teeth and tongue move torturously over her flesh, Jade taking her time in a way that had Tori feeling desperate for her touch. Tori lifted her hips, seeking friction, but Jade kept her hips elevated, preventing Tori from grinding up on her.

Tori released a frustrated groan as Jade kissed lower, following a line from her sternum to just above her belly button. She was kneeling over Tori, gazing up at her as she nuzzled the skin of Tori’s stomach, hair tickling Tori’s skin in such a subtle way it made her shiver instead of laugh. Jade let the tip of her tongue run back up Tori’s body, kissing her breasts and then finding Tori’s mouth again, while the fingers of one hand traced over Tori’s hip bone, slipping beneath the fabric of Tori’s panties.

Tori inhaled a shuddering gasp as Jade pulled away from their kiss, looking down at her with eager eyes. A moment passed between them, a deliberate breath, as Tori waited, heart pounding, for Jade to finally _touch_ her, and Jade took in Tori’s need, waiting just long enough for Tori to say, “Jade, just--”

But the rest of her words died in her throat as she felt Jade’s fingers slide between her legs.

-

Jade was certain time stopped for just a moment as her fingers slipped into the wetness between Tori’s legs. Tori was still looking at her, eyes wide and fluttering, jaw open, shoulders already arching back with the first simple touch. Jade took her time, watching Tori’s face as she explored with her fingers, feeling Tori’s hands in her hair, on her shoulders, on her arms, as if she needed to touch Jade, to feel Jade. Jade’s wrist was straining against the cotton waistband of Tori’s underwear, and she remembered that Tori had done this while Jade was wearing shorts, too, but Jade was already tired of the tension of the elastic on her wrist, even as subtle as it was.

She was about to say something, to voice the question of why they were still wearing underwear at all, when Tori managed to speak, her voice trembling, “These are in the way.” Her hands were already traveling down her body. Jade slipped her hand free and sat back, letting Tori lift her body and start tugging down the offending garment, but then Jade stopped her with her own hands, pulling purple fabric down delightfully smooth legs and dropping them at the foot of the bed.

She stopped, then, to take in the image: Tori Vega, nude on her bedspread, all lean, long limbs and subtle curves and warm skin, legs parted slightly, inviting but not lewd. Not that Jade would have minded lewd.

“You, too,” Tori said then, her voice breathless and quiet.

Jade quirked her eyebrow, “What, you want to see me naked?”

Tori blushed at this, and seemed to be groping for words, but Jade settled onto her back, tugging down her own lacy undergarment and kicking it off the edge of the bed, sitting up next to Tori, as nude as she was.

But before anything else could happen, Jade was reaching for her sheets. “Lift up,” she told Tori.

“Hmm?” Tori replied dazedly, but complied, as Jade turned down the sheets, folding them over to cover the bedspread entirely. She knew how wet Tori was, and she knew how wet she was, and she also knew how much easier it was to wash sheets. Besides, Jade’s sheets were much softer than her bedspread.

Tori settled back down onto the sheets with a sigh, gazing up at Jade expectedly. Jade stretched out next to her for a moment, nude bodies pressing together, hot skin on hot skin, and kissed Tori, very softly, pulling back to murmur. “I love you.”

“I love you,” Tori echoed, hand gentle in Jade’s hair, drawing her back in for another soft kiss. They lingered there for a long moment, the impact of being nude together not lost on either of them, acknowledging the shared vulnerability, the emotional weight of this first between them.

But Jade knew what Tori was waiting for, and certainly wasn’t about to disappoint as she sat back up to kneel before Tori, straddling one leg and placing her hand right back where it was, inhaling sharply at the wetness she found there. She leaned over to kiss Tori, feeling Tori’s want and eagerness passing between their lips, feeling the subtle rolling of her hips, meeting the gentle motion of Jade’s hand. Jade let her fingers explore, marveling at how it felt so different and yet so similar to touching herself, feeling an intense charge in her body as she observed Tori’s reactions to her touches in her kisses, the moans muffled against Jade’s lips, her hands moving over Jade’s back.

Jade lifted her head, looking down at Tori. “I want to try something,” she told her quietly, knowing that Tori would know exactly what this meant.

Tori nodded, “Do it,” she said, voice low and breathy.

Jade sat back, wanting to take in everything about this moment, and slowly, already feeling her breath catch, Jade slipped a finger inside of Tori.

Tori’s head tipped back against Jade’s pillows as her back arched with this first delicate touch, one hand gripping the sheet next to her, the other finding Jade’s forearm as her other hand smoothed over Tori’s side. She’d inhaled shakily as Jade first touched her, and now she let this breath out in the softest, most wanton moan Jade had ever heard. She knelt before Tori, moving her hand slowly, letting her other hand trail over Tori’s breasts, feeling absolutely confident and sexy and _alive_ as she turned Tori to putty beneath her.

-

Tori’s body was flooded with pleasure, nerve endings she didn’t know existed lighting up, Jade’s gentle exploration lifting her up higher and higher. She’d experimented with touching herself like this, never really finding much pleasure in it, but _everything_ was different when it was Jade touching her, watching her with an unguarded expression, drinking in every part of Tori with her eyes, naked in front of her. Jade was _fucking gorgeous_ , every part of her, and Tori couldn’t stop looking at her, even as her eyes rolled back in her head with every small movement from Jade’s finger inside of her.

She reached for Jade, who felt so far away, and touched her breasts, joy reverberating through her as she ran her fingers over them, back arching off the bed as Jade touched her, her other hand reaching up, bracing herself against the headboard for _something_ , Tori couldn’t explain the impulse.

And Jade, kneeling over her thigh. Tori hadn’t even thought about it, so focused was she on how Jade was touching her, her other heel digging into the mattress to chase Jade’s hand with her hips. But now, she lifted that leg slightly, pressing between Jade’s legs, and felt her eyes flutter shut and a whimper escape her as she felt Jade _so wet_ against her thigh. Jade barely moved her own hips, pressing down against Tori just slightly, her attention clearly on Tori, on touching Tori.

And all at once, it was as if everything coalesced--Jade’s breast in her hand, Jade wet against her thigh, Jade touching her--and _especially_ the knowledge that Jade was inside of her, the implication of it, the significance of how amazing it felt, and Tori felt her body clench at the mental impact of everything, and then it all redoubled and washed over her abruptly, and Tori gripped the headboard, hips jolting with Jade’s hand, crying out, body undulating as she came beneath Jade’s gaze.

-

Jade drank in all the images and sounds of Tori’s orgasm, her face, the way her jaw parted to release her groans and cries, the way her whole body moved with the touch of Jade’s hand, arching and bucking and, one hand firm on the headboard, the other falling from Jade’s breasts to grip her sheets, her pillows, knuckles standing out white with her tight fingers.

It seemed to go on for a long time, with Jade continuing to try to maintain sensation for Tori, until Tori slumped back against the mattress, whimpering, “Ohmygod,” in a rush of air, eyes flying wide, seeking Jade, reaching for her. Jade carefully withdrew her finger, feeling Tori redouble with a wave of shivers, and draped herself over Tori, kissing her and holding her and feeling the impact of her orgasm wash over both of them, Tori still trembling with aftershocks, holding onto Jade to reground herself.

Jade kissed the skin she could access--Tori’s shoulder, her neck, her face, until Tori turned to meet her lips, and they melted together in a kiss, Tori’s hands gentle in Jade’s hair and on her back, moving to trace over the curve of her waist to settle on Jade’s hips. Jade lifted her head to look at her, “That was so sexy,” she told her.

Tori blushed, cheeks reddening even over her post-orgasmic flush. “That was incredible,” she told Jade. “It all...kinda snuck up on me,” she admitted.

“Kind of seemed like it,” Jade replied, remembering the way Tori’s body had abruptly arched beneath her, seemingly disconnected from the exploratory touches of her hand.

She knew Tori might need a moment--that orgasm had been _intense_ , at least from what Jade saw--but one of Tori’s hands was smoothing over Jade’s hip bone, gripping slightly in a way that made a jolt of pleasure run through Jade. She blinked, trying to maintain her composure, lifting her body to encourage the attention of Tori’s hand, and moments later, feeling Tori’s fingers pressing delicately between her legs.

Jade released a soft moan at the contact, gazing down at Tori, who smirked up at her wickedly. Then, abruptly, Jade felt Tori’s legs move, trying clumsily to push Jade over.

Jade let herself tip onto her side, Tori moving with her to bear her onto her back, but as she tried to scramble past Jade, one knee slipped right off the edge of the bed, and Tori collapsed forward to try to keep her balance.

“Whoa, whoa,” Tori cried out, grabbing desperately at the sheets.

Jade sat up quickly to grab her waist, pulling her back up. “Tori, oh my god,” she laughed.

“Sorry!” Tori laughed, “The edge of your bed snuck up on me.”

“Everything’s sneaking up on you today, huh?” Jade teased.

“Looks like,” Tori made a ridiculously cute scrunched up face, then patted at Jade’s hip. “Move over so I can have some room on this side.”

Jade scooted over, a little puzzled since Tori had definitely been on the other side of her the last time they’d done this, in Tori’s bed, but she shifted more toward the center of the bed. Tori settled over, goofiness gone, eyes smoldering as she leaned in to kiss Jade, her hand beginning to caress its way over her breasts and down her side, grasping at her hip again.

Her _right_ hand, Jade realized.

And abruptly it hit her: last time they had done this, Tori had been using her _left_ hand. Her non-dominant hand. Under Jade’s sleep shorts.

And as Tori’s fingers slipped into Jade’s wetness again, Jade realized fully how different it was, to be naked with Tori, whose right hand was swirling deftly over Jade’s flesh.

Sex was a lot of things. It was pleasure, it was pride and accomplishment, it was discovery, but most of all, for Jade, it was connection. She’d been giving herself orgasms for years now, and the world of difference between masturbation and sex with a partner had never been more potent than in this moment, with Tori’s nude body moving gently against her own, skin soft and fragrant with soaps and scents and cosmetics, with Tori’s hand between her legs, finger moving down to slip easily inside of her, Tori’s lips on her own, whimpering against Jade as her finger pushed inside. Tori, who had just gone from ridiculous to sexy in a literal blink of an eye, having full-on naked sex with Jade in her very own bed, with no barriers of clothing, no interruptions. Just them. And Tori finally touching her with her dominant hand, and Jade already feeling the difference.

They’d been making each other come for weeks now, but Jade already knew this experience was different. In a weird way, that both had nothing and everything to do with their nudity, it truly felt to Jade like their first time.

And Jade wanted more of it.

-

“You can use two fingers.”

The request, rasped in her ear as she began kissing her way down Jade’s neck, made Tori freeze completely for a long moment, letting the request wash over her, pound through her head, warm through her body in a hot pulse of arousal. _Fuck_. Jade had to know how this would affect her.

Tori lifted her head slightly to take in Jade, pale cheeks flushed with arousal, eyes hazy, and lip quirked as she looked at Tori. “You still with me?” she teased.

Swallowing audibly, Tori struggled to speak. “Yeah, I’m... _damn_ , Jade,” she swore, unable to come up with any other way to express how much those five simple words had affected her. She surged down to kiss Jade, withdrawing her finger only to press two back inside, feeling Jade warm and wet around them, pulling away from the kiss to rest her forehead on Jade’s as they moaned together at the contact between them.

Tori gave herself a moment to take in the sensation once again, then resumed the movements of her fingers, and the kissing of Jade’s neck, shoulder, and down to her breasts. One of Jade’s hands tangled desperate fingers in her hair, encouraging the movements of her mouth on Jade’s breasts, and she teased all over the flesh with her lips and tongue, occasionally dragging her teeth across a sensitive spot to feel Jade’s fingers tighten in her hair, to hear the whimper that fell from Jade’s lips.

She took a moment to let everything sink in. Jade West, naked beneath her...Tori knew she would never forget a sight so beautiful. How it felt to touch her, the power of just two small fingers, and the way they made Jade vulnerable, wanton, gorgeous in her pursuit of pleasure. How it felt to know what Jade wanted, to be able to give that to her, to give her pleasure, the kind of pleasure that made her start to slowly arch up off the mattress, hips moving more frantically with Tori’s hand. The hand that wasn’t tangled in Tori’s hair slid down Jade’s body, and Tori glanced down to find that Jade was touching herself while Tori’s fingers moved inside of her, and it was thrilling and sexy in a way that Tori couldn’t quite explain except that it felt like they were connected, moving in unison, both invested in Jade’s pleasure.

There was a little more warning to Jade’s orgasm. Both the way she breathed, “ _Fuck I’m so close_ ,” in a way that almost made Tori completely lose her focus because of how shocking and sexy it was, the way her body was moving with Tori, her fingers tight in Tori’s hair and moving rapidly between her legs, the way her moans crescendoed musically, until she went still, and Tori glanced up through her hair to see her mouth open in a silent scream, and suddenly motion and sound returned as Jade’s hips rolled and her throat let out a guttural groan, and Tori held Jade close, kissing her skin, as she came, long and loud, against her.

-

Jade felt herself rising higher and higher with Tori, with every touch of their skin, every little interaction between them. She thought she’d never felt more wholly connected to someone than she was to Tori, right now, whose every touch made her pulse race, whose eyes met hers and everything potent passed between them, communication and love and desire and understanding. Whose focus and attention on Jade made her feel desired in a particularly heady way, a way that amplified every physical sensation in her body, until it brought Jade to orgasm, the emotions crashing over her wildly, whole body full to the brim with Tori’s adoration.

But most of all, Jade felt loved, and as Tori pulled the sheet over them and snuggled up to Jade as she caught her breath, pulling Tori closer as she recovered, it was almost as if she was able to relax for the first time in a very long time.

She and Tori held each other as Jade came down from the high of her orgasm, and she felt Tori’s kisses against her skin as she cuddled closer. But soon, her kisses were turning to soft chuckles. “What?” Jade murmured.

“Well,” Tori said, “I just realized that I’m no longer a virgin...and I have a car.” Her face turned a bit pensive. “I mean, I know I’m not a virgin anymore...but I’m also not really sure when that happened. Kind of seems like it might’ve been before today, but…” she trailed off thoughtfully.

Jade understood that. Things were murky when she’d been exploring her sexuality with Beck, but also a bit clearer, with all the significance placed on what was singularly referred to as _sex_. Jade learned that a lot of other activities carried the emotional weight of _sex_ , even if they didn’t “count.” And now with Tori, with no such equivalent act, Jade had been realizing her definition of sex had broadened to encompass so many of the activities that made her feel connected to Tori and loved by Tori. It didn’t always have to be fingering naked in a bed, though this was certainly incredible. “I guess I can’t tease you about being a virgin who can’t drive anymore,” Jade smirked.

“To be fair, you haven’t for a long time,” Tori settled next to her, fingers tracing random patterns over Jade’s ribs and stomach beneath the sheet.

“But that stuck with you, huh?” Jade asked. She remembered teasing Tori about it, the night after their fake date at Nozu, the same night they’d kissed in Tori’s driveway for the first time, under the pretense of being Nancy and Walter. She remembered it because she’d been so proud of the joke, but it hadn’t landed that well as an insult, so Jade didn’t think she’d tried it again. But apparently, it must’ve landed enough for Tori to still think of it.

“I guess,” Tori replied, “It’s more just like...I feel really good about both. But especially that you’ve been here with me for it.” She kissed Jade then, a slow kiss, and settled down next to her.

They held each other for long enough that they apparently dozed off. When Jade woke, she nuzzled the side of Tori’s head, then let her eyes readjust. Wait. They’d been asleep. _What time was it_? Tori was still breathing like she was sound asleep but Jade rolled away from her, worried that they’d slept too long. There was a muffled groan from Tori as Jade groped for her PearPhone and checked the screen. It was barely noon. Jade relaxed with a sigh of relief, then felt Tori’s arm slip around her, followed by a kiss to her bare shoulder.

“What’s happening?” Tori mumbled.

“Nothing, just wondered what time it was.”

“And?”

“Just after twelve. We still have a few hours.” Jade flipped back around to face Tori, who was now propped up on her elbow, hair mussed, sheet wrapped around her. She must’ve been smiling, because Tori reflected a shy smile back at her.

“What?”

“There’s this really hot girl in my bed.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m looking at her.”

Jade tipped toward her, placing a kiss on her lips. “Kinda hungry. Should we order lunch?”

“Are you going to make me answer the door, again?”

“I can’t help what nature has given me.”

They lingered in bed for a while longer, kissing and laughing and just being together until Jade was hungry enough that she knew she’d better place the order before she shifted to hangry. Though, really, Tori was the one who got super weird when she was too hungry. They agreed on Chinese food, argued over appetizers, and settled on splitting two different dishes by the time the order was sent through the Grubbinator app. As they waited for the delivery, they managed to get half-dressed in shirts and underwear, still just lounging around on Jade’s bed, looking at videos and checking for messages from friends. Jade liked this, a lot, just being in the same space together, doing not much of anything. She also liked, you know, doing very specific stuff, obviously. But Tori brought with her a sense of comfort and ease that Jade realized she must’ve been missing up until now.

When the food arrived, Tori begrudgingly pulled on her pants and they went upstairs so that Tori could answer the door. Since Chinese food was a bit messy, at least compared to something like pizza, Jade had Tori bring it into the kitchen while she retrieved plates from the cabinet. She was still just in her underwear and tank top, which meant Tori’s eyes kept lingering on all her exposed skin.

“What?” Jade asked, knowing exactly what.

Tori smirked, “Nothing. Domestic, half-dressed Jade West is just...something to behold.”

“I’m literally grabbing us plates. This doesn’t count as domestic,” Jade argued playfully.

“Let me like what I like,” Tori replied, eyes on Jade’s legs.

Jade rolled her eyes, but grinned. At least she’d brought up her PearBook, so she could show Tori one of her short films while they ate. Not that she minded Tori’s eyes on her, but it was hard to eat when she felt like she was being devoured herself.

This short film was a suspenseful one, about a hide and seek game in an abandoned house gone horribly wrong, and Tori was invested, her eyes never leaving the screen. She jumped at all the right moments, and even scooted her chair closer to Jade’s at about the midpoint of the film. Jade felt accomplished.

“Well, was it nightmare fuel?” Jade asked when it was over, as she took their plates to rinse them in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher.

Tori shivered visibility, “You’re so good at building tension. How do you do that?”

Jade shrugged. She’d filmed this over six months ago and cut it together a little more recently, but it was just reminding her that now that summer was here, hopefully she would have time to film some new things. “I watch a lot of movies, and I’m still learning as I go. I think I could do even more with it now.”

“I can’t imagine,” Tori murmured.

“Hey,” Jade said, reaching for her hand.

“What?”

“Let’s go watch something else to take your mind off of it.”

They headed back downstairs in Jade’s room, and Jade selected a DVD from her shelf. She put it into the DVD player and settled next to Tori on the bed.

Tori, however, was surprised by her choice. “ _Mean Girls_?” she asked, “You own _Mean Girls_?”

Jade raised her eyebrow, “Of course I own _Mean Girls_.” Tori was still staring at her skeptically. “What?”

“I’m surprised you’ve even seen it.”

“ _How_? Everyone knows _Mean Girls_.”

“You’re just full of surprises sometimes,” Tori snuggled up against her.

“I do watch things other than horror, you know.”

“I know,” Tori leaned up to kiss her cheek, “It’s because you’re secretly a big softie.”

“ _Stop_.”

Tori just laughed.

They’d both seen this movie before, so Jade was a little more willing to kiss during a couple of scenes--but only a few, because the movie itself was always entertaining, and Jade liked to watch all moments of it when possible.

When it was over, however, Jade noticed she’d just gotten a text from her mom, informing her that she and Jade’s brother were about to board the ferry to come home.

“What’s up?” Tori asked her.

Jade tapped out a quick reply. “My mom,” she said, “They’re coming home.”

“Like, leaving the island?”

“Yeah,” Jade nodded, “So we have at least two more hours to ourselves, I’d say.”

“So, what should we do?” Tori asked.

“I don’t know,” Jade stretched out her body on her bed, watching the way Tori’s eyes flitted all over her. “Any ideas?”

In answer, Tori pulled off her t-shirt and crawled on top of Jade.

Round two it was, then. Not that Jade was complaining.

-

When Tori finally drove herself home that evening, she was buzzing with the thrill of the day, the new levels of intimacy she and Jade had shared so fresh in her mind she felt like she could practically feel Jade’s touch still on her skin. Things felt...different. Not because of the sex (though that was certainly _something_ ) but because of the newly acquired independence of her car combined with the promise of summer freedom. Tori felt like she was finally getting a handle on life, like her own life, one where she made her own choices. She supposed this was probably what growing up was all about. It felt good. And it felt especially important to be sharing so much of it with Jade.

Basically, Tori was young and in love and that was the kind of thing people wrote songs about.

She parked in her designated spot in the driveway, claiming yet another space for herself in the world, and prepared to head inside, ready to stand her ground if her parents were in the living room. Not that they were going to question anything, but she wanted to move past this idea that they somehow always knew what she was up to in her love life.

Sure enough, both her parents were watching television when Tori entered the front door. “Hey,” she said, sounding way totally definitely casual.

“How was your first day of freedom?” David asked, barely looking away from the show they were watching.

“Good,” replied Tori. This was easy.

Holly glanced over at her. The show had gone to commercial. “What’d you girls do today?”

Be cool, Tori. Be. Cool. “We, um, ate Chinese and watched _Mean Girls_.” Was that convincing? Wait, it was true. So, there was no need to _be convincing_.

“Sounds nice,” replied her mom.

Oh god, they knew. They had to know she’d just definitely had _actual sex_ with her girlfriend. Tori quickly moved for the stairs. “I’m gonna go...read,” she said, rushing toward her bedroom. Once she was safely inside on her bed, she texted Jade.  
  


**My parents know we did it**

**  
TORI**

**HOW**

**How could they possibly know that?**

**  
Just a feeling I have about it**

**  
You’re out of your mind**

**  
I mean maybe they don’t**

**  
Have they ever actually said anything to you about it?**

**  
No they just hired Patrice**

**  
So then if Patrice pops up this week, then you’ll know**

**  
Oh god**

Then again, it was always so much easier to talk to Patrice about sex than her parents, so she supposed it wouldn’t be the worst. As long as nothing affected their plans for the summer. And senior year. And the rest of time.

Two days later, Tori still hadn’t heard a peep from her mom or her dad about what went on at Jade’s on Monday, so she decided that maybe she had been paranoid. Some review of the pamphlets from Patrice suggested that she possibly just needed to exercise more ownership over her sex life so she’d be more confident about it. Which, she was confident about the sex part, it was just the living in her house with her family in between those moments that sometimes made things awkward. Or maybe she was just reading too much into it.

Anyway, that afternoon, when her mom called her down to the kitchen, Tori steeled herself, just in case.

“Yeah,” she asked, descending the stairs.

“Mail’s for you,” Holly said, pointing to an envelope on the counter.

Tori picked it up and already felt the weight of the small card inside. “Is it already here?” she said, mostly to herself. She tore the envelope open and, sure enough, there was her California driver’s license, in full color. And, yep, there was that picture that immediately reminded her of the last week and just how horny she was that day. Great. What a memento of her final day of junior year.

Holly was watching, expectantly, so Tori handed the license to her. “Lucky you, what a great photo. My first picture looked like I’d gotten caught in a windstorm.”

“Wasn’t that just because you had big hair back then?”

“I can’t even defend the look, to be honest,” Holly chuckled, then passed it back.

Tori collected the paperwork that came with the card and turned to go back upstairs. Then she pivoted back around. “Hey, Mom?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Uh, Jade and I are...you know...having sex.”

Holly didn’t even blink. “Kind of figured, Tori.”

Oh. Well. So, they did know. “Oh. Okay, so I don’t need to tell Dad?”

That made Holly fumble her phone. “Let’s not. He’s still a little shaken from the porn incident.”

“Still?”

“Still.” Her mom set her phone down. “Listen, we worry about you girls, but we trust you. Well, we don’t always trust Trina, but you’re sometimes a little _too honest_ for your own good.”

“It’s hard for me to lie!”

“Trust me, I know. We’re kind of hoping Jade rubs off on you a little in that respect.” Holly reached out to squeeze Tori’s shoulder. “Have fun. Be responsible. But get into a little bit of trouble every once in a while.”

“I can try that.” Tori considered just what that meant, specifically in regard to the station wagon. “Thanks, Mom.”

Later that evening, Tori drove over to Jade’s house to pick her up. “So, what’s the plan?” Jade asked when she got into the passenger’s seat, because Tori had been purposely vague over text.

“I figured it was my turn to take you on a drive,” Tori told her, leaning over the much less annoying center console to give Jade a kiss.

“Uh huh,” Jade replied, sounding skeptical, as they pulled apart and Tori began backing out of the driveway. “Just taking me for a ride in your Vulva, eh?”

“Jade! You can’t call it that,” Tori laughed.

“Why not?”

“I’m vetoing it as a name for my car. It would disturb anyone who overhears you.”

“Fine,” Jade replied, “I’ll just come up with something better.”

“So,” Tori told her a moment later, “I told my mom we’re having sex.”

“ _Tori_!”

“Well, she already knew!” Tori defended.

Jade looked at her. “So you were right and they _did_ know?!” she asked in shock.

“Well, I don’t know the details on that, but she certainly wasn’t surprised.”

“Why did you even tell her?”

“I don’t know! It felt right,” Tori tried to explain.

Jade was quiet for a moment, “Great. I don’t know how I’m going to face her.”

“Oh, please,” Tori laughed, “You’ll be fine.”

“Just promise me you won’t tell my mom that we’re having sex,” Jade said dryly, “Because then she’ll offer a bunch of Cosmo sex tips and we really don’t need that.”

Tori grimaced, “Yeah, I think we’re doing fine on our own.”

Tori knew it was no surprise to Jade when she pulled into the overlook parking area, and the wry smile Jade shot her told her that Jade thought she was being entirely silly about all the subterfuge. But it wasn’t the overlook itself that Tori wanted to show her.

First, Tori executed a three point turn, while Jade frowned and asked, “What’s happening?”

“I’m just turning around,” Tori told her, backing up toward the edge of the overlook.

“Tori, you’re going to drive over the cliff!” Jade was gripping the door handle, eyes on the side mirror.

“Relax,” Tori laughed. She wasn’t getting _that_ close to the edge. Jade really needed to learn to let her take the wheel sometimes. Like, literally.

When she’d parked, she got out of the car, and circled around to the back. After a moment, Jade followed her, eyeing her skeptically.

“Ta-da!” Tori gestured with a flourish to the back of her Volvo.

Tori had really done her best to make it a welcoming space. She’d dug out her old sleeping bag from the garage and washed it, got an old woven blanket from the linen closet, and a couple of pillows and made a makeshift nest out of the back of her car with the back seats pulled down.

“What do you think?” she asked Jade.

“Looks cozy,” Jade replied, ducking to stick her head into the back of the car.

“Well come on,” Tori said, climbing into the trunk and patting the other half of the sleeping bag next to her.

Jade crawled inside and settled next to Tori, leaning back against one of the pillows. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Vega, your Pussy Wagon has a pretty good setup here.”

Tori groaned, “You can’t call it the Pussy Wagon either.”

“You’re no fun,” Jade pouted. She gazed forward, at the city lights they could see out of the open hatch of the car. “Okay, this is actually really nice,” she admitted.

“I know,” Tori snuggled up to her, “Don’t you regret laughing at my car now?”

“You mean,” Jade turned, wrapping her leg around Tori’s waist, “your Shaggin’ Wagon?” she asked playfully.

Tori thought about it, “You know, I think I could accept that as a name.”

Jade laughed, “Perfect.”

They lay there for a while, enjoying the view and aware of the few other cars still parked nearby, just enjoying each other and their new little zone of relative privacy. When Tori turned to find Jade looking at her, expression soft with adoration, it was natural to lean in to kiss her, to turn toward her and wrap her arms around her. Jade kissed back, hand in Tori’s hair, leaning into her to bear her down onto her back.

“Wait,” Tori breathed.

“Hmm?” Jade asked, nuzzling her neck.

“If we’re going to do this, we should close the back. Or else a murderer might crawl in and join us.”

“And you think I’m not a match for a murderer?” Jade teased.

But she leaned forward to pull the hatch closed, enclosing them in their nest, before turning back to crawl over Tori, kissing her fiercely.

If this was how their summer was starting, Tori knew it was only going up from here. And probably would continue to go up, as long as Jade was at her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from _Cheer Me Up_ by Victorious Cast.
> 
> **On the conclusion of Tori Vega is Still a Virgin Who Can't Drive (But Not For Long):**
> 
> And then it was senior year. Jade wondered when it had all happened, because it felt like not that long ago when she’d first walked into Sikowitz’s classroom and wondered who the freaky dude was who was supposed to be teaching her about acting. Turned out, he was pretty damn good at it.
> 
> She and Tori were the most popular couple in the school, something Jade was used to but Tori wasn’t. 
> 
> “It’s just weird, everyone being so interested in what we’re doing,” Tori said, swapping out her books at her locker.
> 
> “Yeah, but then they do whatever you want. Watch,” Jade flagged down the next person to walk by. Pippa? Maybe Piper? “Hey, you!” The girl she’d just shouted at froze in the hall.
> 
> “Yes?” She was pretty sure it was Pepper.
> 
> “Tori’s thirsty, get her a soda,” Jade demanded.
> 
> Tori shot a look at Jade. “No. No, I don’t need that.” She stepped between Pepper and the soda machine. “She’s just trying to prove a point.”
> 
> Pepper seemed uncertain. “Should I...go away?”
> 
> “Yes,” Jade said, sending her off.
> 
> “Okay, that’s not something I need or something you should do.” Tori was stern about it, which was weirdly cute.
> 
> “But it’s fun.”
> 
> “It’s mean.”
> 
> Jade sighed. “Fine. But now you need to get me a soda.”
> 
> “I thought it was supposed to be for me!
> 
> “You’re the one who sent Pepper away!”


	13. Epilogue: Your hands on my hips and my kiss on your lips, oh, I could do this for a lifetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that this has a hard M rating.

**2012**

**Summer**

The last two weeks of June had flown by in the form of trips to the beach, evenings at the overlook, and lazy mornings texting with Jade. And then suddenly it was July and her mom was reminding her that she was set to take the SATs in a month. Tori felt she had a good handle on almost all of it except the geometry thing. Which she’d mentioned to Jade and gotten something of a surprising response.

“I can tutor you.”

Tori laughed, then realized Jade was serious. “Wait, you can?”

“Yeah,” Jade drew it out, sounding slightly offended. “I had the highest grade in the class last year.”

“I just didn’t know you were...good at it.”

“Well, I am. And it’s handy in calculating camera movements and distance and stuff.”

Tori wondered what other secret skills her girlfriend was keeping below the surface.

-

Jade thought she might die laughing. “Tori.”

“What?” she asked, looking at the large decal she’d bought for her car. It was a huge moustache and she _loved_ it. But it had also come with lettering that read, _Free Moustache Rides_.

The fact that Tori was apparently oblivious to something just made Jade laugh harder. “If someone’s riding a moustache...they’d have to be--”

Tori had gotten much better at not being so embarrassed about their sex life, at least when she was talking to Jade. But as Tori realized what the phrase actually meant, she felt the heat creep up her ears. “Oh god.”

Jade collected herself before saying, “That’s one activity Walter doesn’t fall asleep during.”

Yeah, now her ears were on _fire_.

-

“Now, I don’t want you to think this is because we watched the movie. This is because you like roller derby,” Tori said, when she’d presented Jade with two tickets to a local bout for her birthday.

Jade had loved it, taking great delight in all of the impact and violence laid bare on the track in front of them. Afterward, they were able to mingle a bit with the teams, and maybe it was because it was a queer women’s league, Tori noticed a few pairs of eyes on her as she purchased two bottles of water at the concession stand.

“Here you are, hun,” the androgynous person working the concession stand offered a wink along with the beverages.

“Uh, thanks?” Tori replied, taking in the quirk of the person’s lip. She dropped a bill in the tip jar and scurried away, already feeling herself blush. Only to find Jade talking to a woman still dressed in her full Derby gear, who was eyeing her in a way that made Tori move faster.

“Yeah, I thought about getting into derby when I was younger,” Jade was saying as Tori drew nearer, “But, I think I’m too top heavy and I like my face too much.”

“Well, if you change your mind, hit me up,” the woman said, “Or, you know, even if you don’t change your mind.”

“Here’s your water bottle, _sweetie_ ,” Tori said, a little pointedly as she passed it to Jade. The pet name felt a little unnatural in her mouth, but it made her point.

“Thanks,” Jade glanced at Tori, looking amused but also a little flushed, “Oh, this is my girlfriend, Tori,” she told the woman on skates, wrapping her arm around Tori’s hip. “Tori, this is Cannibal Quinn, she heads the Queerios.”

“Nice to meet you,” Tori replied, the bite going out of her voice a little as she noticed the woman was looking at her with the same expression she’d worn when looking at Jade.

“You as well,” Cannibal Quinn scanned Tori with interest, “How about you, you look like you have the build for skating.”

“I’m seventeen,” Tori replied.

Instantly, the woman’s face dropped. “Gotcha. Well, later,” and she was skating off through the crowd.

“Well,” Tori huffed, offended at her sudden departure. “I guess she didn’t want to take my number for when I’m old enough to play.”

Jade laughed, “I don’t think _that’s_ why she was disappointed you were underage.”

“What do you-- _oh_ ,” Tori murmured, taking in the mischievous sparkle in Jade’s eyes.

The two of them gazed around their surroundings once again, and Tori met the eyes of a few women, and saw a few more who were definitely checking out Jade, or both of them. It was a little thrilling, and also felt a little dangerous.

“We should probably get out of here, huh?” Tori asked.

“Probably,” Jade looped her arm through Tori’s.

When they got back to Jade’s house, the sex was incredibly phenomenal as the two of them burned the jealousy out of each other. Tori didn’t like feeling jealous, but she had to admit that in the aftermath of affirming their commitment to each other, that getting checked out or propositioned every once in a while might be good for them.

**  
Fall**

And then it was senior year. Jade wondered when it had all happened, because it felt like not that long ago when she’d first walked into Sikowitz’s classroom and wondered who the freaky dude was who was supposed to be teaching her about acting. Turned out, he was pretty damn good at it.

She and Tori were the most popular couple in the school, something Jade was used to but Tori wasn’t. “It’s just weird, everyone being so interested in what we’re doing,” Tori said, swapping out her books at her locker.

“Yeah, but then they do whatever you want. Watch,” Jade flagged down the next person to walk by. Pippa? Maybe Piper? “Hey, you!” The girl she’d just shouted at froze in the hall.

“Yes?” She was pretty sure it was Pepper.

“Tori’s thirsty, get her a soda,” Jade demanded.

Tori shot a look at Jade. “No. No, I don’t need that.” She stepped between Pepper and the soda machine. “She’s just trying to prove a point.”

Pepper seemed uncertain. “Should I...go away?”

“Yes,” Jade said, sending her off.

“Okay, that’s not something I need or something you should do.” Tori was stern about it, which was weirdly cute.

“But it’s fun.”

“It’s mean.”

Jade sighed. “Fine. But now you need to get me a soda.”

“I thought it was supposed to be for me!

“You’re the one who sent Pepper away!”

Other than having to adjust her level of demands from the student population at large (not because Tori had told her to, but because she felt like it), a few more things made the school year feel different from before. There was finally no Trina on campus because she’d graduated and was now tormenting the poor souls at Northridge College. It seemed to have an unexpected effect on Tori, not having to constantly yield to her sister’s overbearing presence. Jade liked this slightly bolder Tori, one who didn’t question herself quite as much. Or maybe they were all just growing up.

The biggest example of that seemed to be Cat’s new living situation where she roomed with another girl her age in her Nona’s apartment. They were apparently living there on their own while Nona took up residence at Elderly Acres. Jade didn’t know much about this new roommate, but Cat insisted, “She’s lots of fun and makes sure I take my special vitamins,” so Jade decided that was probably the best anyone could do when they were trying to make sense of living with Cat.

-

One of their semester assignments was the “Hello, Future Me” project where every senior student recorded themselves talking about what their lives were currently like and what they expected from themselves ten years down the line.

Jade hated stuff like this because it made her have to consider the future and thinking about the future usually made her anxious, because she didn’t know what to expect and if she expected what was realistic, it would probably be a huge disappointment. But, still, she needed to do the assignment. And, at least with Tori in the hypothetical future picture, things might be tolerable.

They were supposed to film themselves over the course of a week, but that was stupid because she only had so much to say. There wasn’t a specific time limit on how long the videos had to be, anyway.

“Uh, so I’m Jade West and right now I’m a high school senior at Hollywood Arts. I’m into film and acting and horror. I’m dating Tori Vega.” Jade held up her phone to show a picture of Tori, that goofy grin spread across her face. “She’s totally nerdy but also hot and I love her, so shut it down if you’re thinking anything pervy. Um,” she leaned back in her chair. “I guess in ten years I’ll have gone to film school and should have, like, three movies made. They’ll be indie horror films that I take around to places like Fantastic Fest and Sundance and everyone will love them because I’m good at it. Maybe by then Tori and I will be married. I don’t know.” She paused. “I...wonder if Tori wants to have kids. We haven’t talked about that because we’re still in high school and it’s not like she’s going to accidentally knock me up.” Jade squinted her eyes at the camera. “...I think that’s enough.”

**  
New Year’s Eve**

Tori’s parents went to Santa Barbara for New Year’s Eve, and had okayed her having a small party at the house, a get-together with friends. Tori had rushed to get everything ready, letting her friends know that it was going on. Trina had scoffed at Tori’s offer of hanging out with “a bunch of high schoolers” and claimed she had a party to go to with her “new college friends.” Tori didn’t exactly envy Trina going to a Northridge party, but she figured it at least meant Trina would be out of their hair all evening.

She hadn’t anticipated that _everyone_ would be out of her hair that evening.

Andre had brought a girl with him, and it was hard to even get his attention with the way he was fawning on her. Beck had already made it clear as soon as he showed up that he had another party to get to, hosted by some people he was starting to make connections with in the modeling industry. And Rex kept talking about some gig in Northridge he was expected to make an appearance at.

Tori had made appetizers--chips and salsa and homemade guacamole, freezer egg rolls she’d baked in the oven, and fruit and veggie platters and a sheet cake she’d bought at Wanko’s Express Bakery. She also had a little cooler of ice with tiny champagne bottles keeping cold inside, which she made sure to excitedly show everyone so they’d be pumped to pop them at midnight.

Everyone showed up and started devouring food, and it was nice to mingle for a while. But then Andre shuffled over and let Tori know he was going to be skipping out a little early to have some alone time with his date, which Tori congratulated him on and assured him she understood.

But then Beck was saying his goodbyes, saying he had to get to his modeling party.

And then Robbie was sighing and saying he had to go take Rex to Northridge.

Well, fine. If the guys were going to skip out, she, Jade and Cat could have a girls' night. It had been awhile since they’d done something like that, and Tori was looking forward to it.

But then, Cat was pulling on her jacket and gathering her purse. “My ride’s here!”

“Your ride?” Tori asked.

“Where are you going?” Jade questioned.

“To watch the fireworks, silly!” Cat giggled.

“With _who_?” Tori asked again.

“My roommate, Sam,” Cat replied, heading for the front door. Tori and Jade followed her, and she waved goodbye to them one more time as she jogged toward...the motorcycle that was waiting for her?

Huh. This was weird. Tori and Jade exchanged a baffled glance as Cat accepted a helmet from the other rider, and hopped on the back, waving one more time before riding away with her mysterious roommate.

And so, by ten o’clock, she and Jade were the only two left at Tori’s house.

“Seriously?” Tori griped, “Why did I even bother throwing a party?” But she wasn’t that annoyed, because Jade was still there.

“Hey, I see this as an opportunity,” Jade replied. “Here we are, with a cooler full of champagne, and an evening to ourselves.” She opened the cooler and extracted two of the miniature champagne bottles. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Tori echoed, and they twisted off the bottle caps and each took a sip. It wasn’t bad, mostly bubbly and a little sweet. Maybe not quite as good as hard lemonade, but certainly drinkable. Tori’s mom had bought enough for each of the party guests to have one at midnight, while her dad had turned a blind eye to the whole thing. But everyone had left before midnight, anyway, and Tori wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

Tori took a slightly bigger swig of the alcohol, and Jade chuckled, “Whoa, there. Might want to slow down. I know you’re a lightweight.”

“Maybe I’m okay with being a little tipsy,” Tori argued with her.

“Last time we drank together, you slapped me in front of our friends and did the nerdiest karaoke rendition of ‘Five Fingaz to the Face’ imaginable,” Jade smirked, “I don’t know if _I’m_ okay with you being a little tipsy.”

Tori fixed her with a severe look, “We also kissed _a lot_ that night, which I know you haven’t forgotten, so trust me, there’s something in it for you if I get _a little tipsy_.”

“Is there?” Jade’s eyebrow lifted and her eyes ran down Tori’s body.

“We should go upstairs,” Tori said abruptly, feeling hot with the way Jade was looking at her, and a little nervous, because she had an idea of what she might want to do when they got up there.

“Why’s that?” Jade teased.

“I might want to get out of this dress,” Tori told her, gesturing to the cocktail dress she’d put on for the occasion of Fancy New Year’s Party.

Jade smiled slowly. “Well, I might want to get you out of that dress, so let’s go.” She bent down into the cooler and pulled out two more tiny champagne bottles.

Tori raised an eyebrow as she started for the stairs. “I thought you didn’t want me to be tipsy.”

“Well, I was promised kisses if you were.”

“You might get more than kisses.”

“ _Might_ I?” Jade grinned wickedly.

Tori hurried up the stairs and into her bedroom, Jade right at her heels, and she closed the door after Jade was inside. She put her champagne bottle down on her desk, while Jade placed the three she was carrying on the bedside table on ‘her’ side of the bed. Tori immediately started reaching to unzip her dress, moving her hair aside and reaching over her head, but then there was Jade, planting a kiss on her neck as she drew the zipper down Tori’s spine. “Thanks,” Tori breathed.

Jade let her lips linger there, hand slipping under the fabric of Tori’s dress to wrap around her body, stroking the skin just beneath Tori’s bra. She drew in a breath, pressing herself back against Jade, feeling heat course through her body at the contact. But then Jade pulled away and turned around herself. “Unzip me,” she requested.

Tori did, following the path of the zipper with her lips. It wasn’t a part of Jade she had occasion to kiss very often, and she wondered how she might react. She was pleasantly surprised to hear a sharp intake of breath from Jade, and hands reaching behind her, trying to grasp onto Tori’s hip and thigh.

Tori drew away to take another sip from her champagne bottle. Jade turned to watch her with a leer, and moments later, they were on Tori’s bed in their underwear, kissing furiously.

It had been awhile since they’d had this kind of privacy. Over the summer, they’d stolen away to Jade’s house quite a few times when her mom was out of town to enjoy some time alone together, but once school started back up again and they had less freedom and spare time, most of their sexual experiences had taken place in Tori’s bed, when her whole family was home, or in one their cars, usually Tori’s. Which meant clothes stayed on.

Maybe that’s why, even being down to their underwear, they stayed that way for a long time. The feeling of so much of Jade’s skin against her own was so invigorating, Tori didn’t even want to put the space between their bodies they would need to remove any more clothes.

She was on top of Jade, grinding languidly against her thigh. She remembered the way that alcohol made her feel when she was kissing Jade, so long ago, like she could do anything but also like things were a little unreal, like if she didn’t focus on them they might slip away. Some of that was happening now, and she focused, intently, on feeling Jade against her, on the way Jade’s hand slipped beneath the waistband of her underwear to grab her ass, on the way she could tease at touching Jade between her legs just enough to make her writhe, and then pull away, making Jade kiss her harder.

Eventually, Tori rolled off of Jade, feeling unbalanced for a second as she sat up, and reached for her champagne bottle to take another sip, the little bottle nearly empty. They must call it liquid courage for a reason, she thought. Jade sat up to take another sip of her own, eyes on Tori, all smooth, pale skin contrasted with her dark blue bra and panty set. Jade loved matching underwear, which was something Tori found endearing. She didn’t own a lot of matching sets herself, but Jade didn’t ever seem to care whether Tori’s underwear matched.

Tori took a deep breath as she moved to hover back over Jade. “I want to try something,” she told her.

Jade raised an eyebrow at her. “Okay,” she replied easily, watching Tori expectantly.

Tori moved to start pulling Jade’s panties down her legs, watching the way Jade bit her lip in anticipation. Her eyes were a little bit hazy, from arousal and probably from the champagne as well. Tori knew the champagne she’d practically chugged was affecting her, but so far it just seemed to make her even more eager to do what she’d planned.

When Jade’s panties were dropped on the floor next to the bed, Tori leaned forward and started planting kisses all over Jade’s stomach, gradually moving lower. She glanced up to watch Jade through her hair, seeing her lip quirked and her challenging eyebrow. Tori placed kisses on her hip bones, noting the way it made Jade lift her hips with a sharp inhale, and Tori followed with a few swipes of her tongue over the thin, sensitive skin, making Jade choke back a moan; they were so used to trying to stay quiet it was practically second nature to them both.

Tori started kissing her way up one of Jade’s inner thighs, gradually settling further down on the bed. Jade watched her, expression mildly skeptical, and Tori looked at her bra, wondering what her breasts might look like from this angle. “And, now I’m regretting not taking off your bra,” she told Jade before she started pressing kisses against her other thigh.

In answer, Jade sat up and reached back to unhook her bra, tossing it aside. “You’re welcome,” she told Tori, settling back against the pillow, shifting further up to give Tori more room at the foot of the bed, “And good luck to you.”

Tori took a moment to stare at Jade’s breasts while she also considered her words. And, yeah, that was another reason she was nervous to do this. Over the summer, when they’d had a decent amount of opportunities for privacy, neither of them had been ready to try this, and really, they were enjoying the sex they did have so much that Tori didn’t think about oral sex very much. But in the months since school started, she had been thinking about it more and more, and about a month or so ago, had decided she was ready. There hadn’t been an opportunity until now to do anything about it, and Jade’s lack of enthusiasm did make her hesitate a bit. Jade always said that oral was okay, but she couldn’t really get off from it.

But there was a sense within Tori that she wasn’t doing this just for Jade. She was doing this for herself, too, because she really wanted to know what it was like. Just the thought of it made her heart pound.

Jade had given her permission to try, though. Tori wanted to clarify with her what her thoughts were. “I know it might not work for you, but I really want to try it. Just, let me know if I need to stop, or…” she trailed off. She was just _hovering_ between Jade’s legs, looking up at her face framed between her breasts.

Jade watched her, chewing her lip, but she nodded, and smirked. “Have at it, then.”

-

The sooner Tori satisfied her curiosity about going down on her, the sooner they could move on to something better, was Jade’s thought. She wasn’t opposed to it; it didn’t make her uncomfortable, or anything like that. It just...wasn’t that great, in her opinion. Beck had been interested to try it, although nervous, but he hadn’t really performed it beyond the first few times after she’d told him it really didn’t do much for her. She wondered whether she might be okay with it being a more regular part of sex if it turned out Tori _loved_ doing it.

All of these thoughts were flying through her head, through her muddled tipsy champagne brain, just before the first warm touches of Tori’s mouth connected between her legs.

Jade tipped her head back, closing her eyes, wanting to at least give Tori her full attention while she tried this, ready to offer positive feedback if anything worked. She felt warm lips enveloping the area, like a soft kiss, and then motion, broad sweeps of Tori’s tongue all over her.

She sighed, relaxing. Tori was taking her time licking every part of Jade she could reach, and it _did_ feel nice, not necessarily due to sensation, but more the knowledge that Tori was focused on her, that Tori wanted to explore her. It made Jade feel sexy, even if what was happening wasn’t itself that arousing.

Tori’s hands were stationary on her inner thighs, though now short nails were pressing lightly into Jade’s flesh, as Tori’s tongue seemed to find its focus, and Jade felt its motions center, seeking more deliberate stimulation.

For a brief moment, it almost tickled, but quickly moved past that to a pleasant buzz of sensation. Jade released the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding in a soft moan. She let herself drift, anchoring herself on the sensation of Tori between her legs, and felt everything slowly awaken, and instead of feeling shut down, bored, or irritated, Jade realized she was absolutely turned on, and each motion of Tori’s tongue was building pleasure in her body.

Her back arched slowly, an unconscious motion, “Tori,” she breathed, glancing down her body at her. She reached down to brush the hair out of Tori’s eyes, then tangled her fingers in it, and Tori opened her eyes to watch her. Her arousal spiked as their eyes met, her thighs spread wider, her fingers gripping Tori’s hair harder. “Don’t stop,” was all she could think of to say.

She felt a throaty chuckle, muffled against her flesh, as Tori continued what she was doing, moving her arms now to circle around Jade’s thighs, hands placed on her hip bones in a way that made Jade feel grounded and secure, even more connected to Tori. Jade didn’t know if it was the champagne, Tori’s thorough and unbridled enthusiasm, or something else, or everything together, but holy chiz, what Tori was doing was _absolutely_ working. Jade felt her fingers in Tori’s hair, her hips lifting subtly against her mouth, the rhythmic flicking of Tori’s tongue, her hands gripping Jade’s hip bones--though now one was traveling up Jade’s stomach to grasp a breast, and she felt Tori’s moan in time with her own as Tori’s hand caressed her flesh.

Jade opened her eyes again to look down her body, and okay, the sight of Tori between her legs, eyes closed and brow slightly furrowed in concentration, was absolutely a sight to behold. She reached down for the hand not on her breast and grabbed Tori’s, interlacing their fingers as firmly as her other hand grasped her hair, and held on, because Jade was starting to realize that she was _actually_ going to come from this. “Don’t stop,” she urged again, “Just keep…” she trailed off, trying to figure out how to describe the particular motion of Tori’s mouth that was launching her higher when Tori did it again, “Doing that,” Jade groaned, head falling back and her eyes closing once again.

There was a focus to the movement of Tori’s mouth now and she was clearly making an effort to maintain what had been working for Jade. It was imperfect, and Tori had to readjust, but she was resolute, unrelenting, in her quest to get Jade off. And, Jade knew, it wasn’t going to take much more.

-

Tori knew intellectually why she hadn’t done this before--she wasn’t ready, and that hadn’t been an issue--but now that she was experiencing this, listening to Jade enjoying it, feeling Jade gripping her hair, her hand...well, Tori almost couldn’t believe it had taken this long to get here.

Because going down on Jade made her feel powerful, and sexy, and especially knowing that Jade previously hadn’t enjoyed it this much and was _certainly_ enjoying it now... _yeah_. Tori was _loving_ this.

(There may have been research involved in this. She had a pamphlet from Patrice that was mostly about how to perform cunnilingus safely, how to communicate, and also included a few tips. And she may have looked at some things on the internet. With headphones in. Which she didn’t really need to be thinking about when Jade was _right here_ , back arching, groaning loudly because it was as if they both finally realized _they could_ , and--)

Jade came with an explosive moan, fingers gripping Tori tightly, and Tori struggled to maintain the movements of her mouth against Jade as her hips rolled up repeatedly (trying to continue sensation may have been one of the tips in her pamphlet). She squeezed her eyes closed tighter, whimpering as triumph washed over her with each wave of Jade’s orgasm, feeling validated and dammit, _victorious_.

Only when Jade’s hand loosened in her hair and patted at Tori’s head did Tori stop the motion of her mouth, lifting her head and opening her eyes. Jade was slumped back against her pillows, still moaning softly. Tori realized that her chin was _soaked_ , and discreetly wiped both sides of her face against Jade’s inner thighs. Jade was in no condition to complain. But Tori’s face was...well, still soaked, so she tried her hand, and then had to grab her sheet. Jade seemed to be recovering her senses by then, because she was grinning at Tori, amused. Tori realized she must look ridiculous, and that she didn’t know what to do next. “Am I supposed to kiss you now, or...what’s allowed?” she asked, suddenly a little nervous.

Jade reached for her. “Yes, you idiot,” and, laughing softly, she pulled Tori down for an extended, thorough kiss.

Tori pulled away to rest her forehead against Jade’s. “I’m so happy that worked,” she murmured.

Jade shook her head, chuckling and still looking a little awed, “I...don’t even know how to explain it, but...it definitely did.” She pulled Tori down for another grateful kiss, fingers buried in her hair.

Tori was turned on, certainly, but she also knew that Jade might need a minute, and that Jade liked to bask in a lot of affection after an orgasm. Besides, maybe it was the champagne, but even the sense of her own arousal felt subdued, dulled by her altered mental state. It was like she was eager for what might come next, but her body hadn’t caught up to her brain yet.

And what came next was, apparently, Jade’s hand on her shoulder, pushing her to the side, “Lie down,” Jade commanded.

Tori rolled off of her, steadying herself on her elbows, grinning over at Jade. “Okay, I’m lying down. Now what?” she teased, just as Jade leaned over and pressed her breasts right into Tori’s face, rendering her speechless.

-

Until Tori had done it to her, Jade hadn’t thought that much about oral sex. She was curious about it, certainly, but it wasn’t a priority for her, probably because she hadn’t been that eager to receive it. Which she was absolutely kicking herself for now. Who knew that Tori would be so good at it? Jade wondered if she needed to send Patrice a fruit basket, or if it was really just Tori herself that had worked for Jade. It was definitely true that her connection with Tori generally, but especially in bed, was a lot stronger than it had been with Beck. Maybe it was the fact that Tori put her at ease, made her feel secure in a relationship in a new way. Maybe it was just that Tori was so enthusiastic about it, and threw herself into the experience the way she did so many things--headlong, a little reckless, and with an appealing level of confidence. Jade didn’t know. She just knew she’d discovered something new in bed that she loved, and it was all thanks to Tori.

And now she was eager to know if Tori would enjoy it as much as she had.

But first, she had to subdue her a little bit, and Jade’s breasts in her face always accomplished that. It took Tori out of her goofy headspace real quick. And as much as Jade loved when Tori was ridiculous (it was adorable), she was focused on a mission, and she didn’t need Tori distracting her.

With Tori sufficiently dazed by a faceful of breasts, Jade drew back, then leaned over to kiss her, sliding one hand under her back. Tori lifted slightly to help her access the bra clasp, arms around Jade’s shoulders, and maybe it was the champagne, but it was harder than normal to open it. Jade frowned into the kiss as she fumbled, but only for a moment, and then she was pulling Tori’s bra off by the front, and Tori raised her arms away from Jade’s body to pull the bra off and toss it aside.

Jade continued kissing her, letting her hands roam over Tori’s body, palming her breasts, running her fingertips down her ribs, the plane of her stomach, over her hip bones. She slipped her hand down into Tori’s underwear, hand following its natural path, and let her fingers move between her legs deliberately, making Tori whimper against her mouth.

She drew her mouth away from Tori’s, gazing down at her, still letting her fingers swirl gently. Tori met her eyes with a slow smile. “I love you,” she sighed at Jade.

Jade would never get tired of hearing that. “I love you,” she replied, “And these are coming off,” she shifted her hand to start pulling down the last remaining article of clothing either of them were wearing.

Tori lifted her hips, reaching down to help Jade remove her underwear, kicking them off her ankle awkwardly. Jade leaned back, taking a moment to appreciate Tori’s nudity, since it had been awhile since they’d been naked together. She ran her eyes down Tori’s form and then back up, finding Tori smirking at her, stretching languidly under Jade’s attention.

“Okay,” Jade spoke, her throat dry, “Move up.”

Tori’s forehead crinkled in confusion for a moment as Jade shifted down further on the bed. “What? _Oh_ ,” she uttered, realizing what was happening as Jade grabbed her hips and turned her body at a bit of an angle so she’d have more room to stretch out on Tori’s bed on her stomach.

“This okay?” Jade asked as they both shifted around, getting settled.

“Yeah, it’s definitely okay,” Tori replied breathlessly. “I just...wasn’t expecting--”

Jade could tell she was going to start rambling, probably from excitement. So she shut her up by kissing her inner thigh, watching the way it made her abs tighten. Grinning wickedly, she started sucking on the tender skin until Tori groaned, leaving a hickey.

“Why...didn’t I think of that,” Tori panted.

“Don’t know, your loss,” Jade teased, moving her lips to the other thigh and choosing another spot to mark, sucking until Tori’s back arched and her hand reached down to grab Jade’s hair. Well, she hadn’t even started yet and already Tori’s hands were in her hair and Jade’s lipstick was all over her inner thighs. She was off to a good start.

But honestly, she had no idea what she was doing, and that was her hesitation. Even Tori knew more than she did at this point, and though a lot of what they had explored together was new to Jade even just because it was Tori, and everything felt new, there was a layer of complexity to this that made her nervous. Maybe part of the reason Tori had performed so well was that Jade’s expectations were so low. And with Tori getting her off so thoroughly, maybe Tori’s expectations were high. Jade now knew, keenly, how some not-so-great oral could set someone up for disappointment, and the last thing she wanted was that for Tori.

So she took a deep breath as she hovered just between Tori’s legs, and let herself be vulnerable, if only slightly. “Let me know what works, okay?” she asked.

Tori nodded eagerly, eyes on Jade’s. “Okay,” she breathed.

And Jade lowered her mouth between Tori’s legs.

She remembered how it felt when Tori first started, and emulated that, licking all over, feeling everything soft and wet under her tongue. It had helped her, had put her at ease and had made her feel like Tori definitely wanted to be exactly where she was. And Jade wanted to make sure Tori knew that, too, because already, with the way Tori whimpered and her fingers tightened in Jade’s hair, Jade knew that giving this kind of pleasure to Tori was something she would want to do again and again.

But as for her next step, Jade could only follow her instincts. And, okay, maybe she’d read a Cosmo article about this years ago (her mom never missed back issues when they’d disappear, and Jade had been a curious middle schooler). Maybe she should have read up more recently with something other than Cosmo, because she’d eventually realized half their tips were garbage.

So Jade began moving her tongue a little more deliberately, trying different patterns, ears perked for any sounds Tori might make. Other than breathing heavily, she’d been pretty quiet since that first whimper, and her fingers had loosened in Jade’s hair. Jade glanced up at her, and Tori was looking down her body at her, jaw slack, eyes glazed.

And she seemed to sense that Jade wanted feedback, so her brow furrowed slightly and she licked her lips. “Just keep...doing what you’re doing,” Tori murmured, “It all feels great, it’s just…” she trailed off.

Jade got it. Nothing earth-shattering yet. But she wasn’t deterred. She kept trying different things, noting the moments when Tori would gasp, or her fingers would tighten in her hair, and trying to repeat some of those things. Jade was inquisitive, exploratory. She wanted to get this right.

-

Tori could tell that the champagne was dampening her body’s responsiveness, and she tried not to let it bother her too much. Instead, she focused on her mental state, because that was where everything was working for her right now. Jade was going down on her, and she was so overjoyed that it was another first they were able to share. And the relentless strokes of her tongue, the way it felt to meet her eyes, full of affection, which seemed to glimmer a brighter blue as Tori watched her.

Abruptly, though, the slow warmth that had been building blazed white hot, and Tori lost the ability to breathe as her body coiled with arousal, but then it was fading, as Jade moved on to something else, “No, wait,” Tori croaked, “What you were doing before.”

There was an affirmative hum from Jade, and Tori felt Jade’s tongue swirling in tandem with gentle suction from her lips, and _oh my god_ was it effective. Tori buried both hands in Jade’s hair, lifting her hips eagerly to chase her mouth, grinding up against the tongue that was working against her.

She felt Jade’s hands, pressing flat against her hips, holding her in place, and a huff from Jade that had a clear message of _Stay_. Tori tried, but it was really hard not to chase Jade’s mouth, when it amplified every sensation, when it was bringing her closer and closer to orgasm…

Just when Jade shot her an intense look, as if she were strongly considering finding another way to keep Tori’s hips still, Tori broke, hips jolting in ways she now couldn’t control, a groan falling from her mouth. She heard and felt an eager responding moan from Jade, felt the way Jade’s mouth struggled to chase her hips now, but it hardly mattered, because Tori had tumbled over the falls, freefalling into bliss from Jade’s mouth, moans scratching at her throat as she cried out.

She finally released Jade’s hair when she didn’t think she could handle anymore, body shaking, legs twitching. She opened her eyes blearily to see Jade lifting her head, tongue running over her lips and the back of her hand wiping at her chin, but she, too, resorted to using Tori’s sheet.

Jade crawled up Tori’s body to meet her lips in a kiss, and Tori melted into her, feeling grateful and lucky and a wild swirl of positive emotions that Jade conjured up in her as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, the feeling of her skin and the intoxicating aroma of sex surrounding them.

She’d absolutely have to wash her sheets tomorrow, but for now, she had all night with her girlfriend, and more champagne. Tori had gotten used to her typically hair-trigger orgasmic response, but she realized when it was absent, she had more time to focus on what she enjoyed most about being intimate with Jade--feeling close to her, feeling connected to her.

She wondered how long Jade would need to recover before Tori could go down on her again, and grinned wickedly into their kiss.

“Happy New Year,” she murmured when Jade pulled away.

Jade glanced at her clock. “Tori, it’s only eleven.”

“Well, then,” Tori replied, “Guess we still have time to end 2012 with a bang.”

Jade laughed, voice low and intimate. “When did you get insatiable?”

“Since I realized I was the best sex you ever had.” It came out before Tori could think much about it. She didn’t really like to make comparisons between herself and Beck; she knew he would always be Jade’s first in so many things, and that he was an important part of her history, and also, he was their friend. There was no real need to compare, and Jade had said many times that everything felt new with a new partner.

But to her surprise, Jade just laughed. “You got that right,” she husked, surging back in to kiss Tori.

Tori didn’t even know she’d needed Jade’s validation until she provided it, and, satisfied and smug, she decided she’d spend the rest of the evening driving home just how much better their sex was.

2013 could only bring more joy, she knew right then.

**  
2013**

**Winter**

Jade hadn’t been to visit Cat since that night of the move to her Nona’s and, knowing what she did now about how she was kind of on her own, rooming with another high school girl, she was wildly curious about what she was walking into when she rang the bell outside the apartment. They had a class project due later that week and Jade always preferred to work away from her own home, whenever she could. Though, she hadn’t accounted for the drive to Venice or all the damn sunshine.

It turned out that Sam, Cat’s roommate (who Jade realized she had kind of met one time a few years ago and also recognized from the web show she used to be on) was actually very cool and someone who might be good for Cat...well...Jade supposed that depended on the definition of “good for.” But she certainly liked Sam in a way she’d never experienced in having a female friend who was, well, like a legit friend who liked to torment robots and ride motorcycles. They even had a shared love of trolling SplashFace videos, which led to Sam showing Jade one of her favorites.

“You won’t believe this chick,” Sam said. “Though maybe you’ve seen it because it’s from at least a year ago.”

The video she pulled up happened to be the one of Tori dumping ravioli down the astronaut’s pants while dressed like a video game character. “Well,” Jade said, “actually. That’s my girlfriend.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“Nope.”

Sam looked more closely at the video. “Hey, yeah. I do remember her from the party at Kenan Thompson’s house. She’s the one who looks kinda like Shelby Marx. And, um, I apologize.”

“For what?”

“The comment I left.” Sam scrolled down to find what she was looking for.

**WhamBamThankYouSam: Sit on my face, Latina Chun-Li!**

Jade’s eyebrow climbed as she read it, then she laughed as she looked at the reply below it. “I think we’re good, because that’s me.”

**xSCIssORquEEnx: Do yourself a favor and delete your account, wazz-brain.**

Actually, the next several replies were Jade’s, all from her sockpuppet accounts, but she didn’t disclose that. She wanted to keep a little mystery in this new friendship.

After hanging out a few times, Tori had started to ask a lot of questions in a manner that felt vaguely familiar to Jade and she realized the familiarity stemmed from her own feelings about when Beck would hang around other girls.

So, you know, jealousy.

“She’s just a friend, Tori,” Jade said, not even really feeling defensive about it but more like she wanted to reassure her girlfriend that everything was fine.

“I mean, I know...it’s just,” Tori pushed her half-empty boat of fries across to Jade. They’d been in the middle of dinner at InsideOut Burger when all of it had surfaced. “You haven’t ever had friends who are girls, other than me and Cat.”

“Yeah, I could say the same for you,” Jade countered.

“Okay, and if I came back from riding around on some motorcycle with a cool chick who taught me how to make robots explode, you wouldn’t feel a little...weird? Especially one who was on a popular web show that we all used to watch?”

Maybe Tori had a point. “I...might.” Jade knew she’d probably be beside herself with anxiety about it and, to be honest, Tori had actually been pretty cool up until now. “But,” she reached for Tori’s hand across the table. “She’s just a cool friend who likes weird stuff. So, now I have someone to go with me to those really extreme horror movies that give you nightmares. Plus, I really have a feeling she and Cat are a thing.”

Tori seemed to accept that. “I’m sorry for getting weird about it. It’s just new for you to have, like, a friend outside of our group.”

“If it helps, that video of you dumping ravioli down that guy’s pants is one of her favorite things, ever.”

“Really?” Tori perked up.

“Great, now should _I_ be worried?” Jade teased.

There really wasn’t ever an issue about hanging with Sam after that point. Jade even brought Tori along to see Sam jump her motorcycle over a pool of killer tuna fish which ended up not happening but still resulted in Robbie being mildly tortured, so the evening wasn’t a total loss.

-

March meant their first anniversary and, as this was Tori’s first big, actual long-term relationship, she was extremely excited about it. Not that Jade wasn’t, but she’d already been in a situation where she’d dated someone for a long time and Tori assumed that meant it wasn’t as big of a deal for her. Apparently, she was wrong.

“Why on earth would you think I wouldn’t be excited about our one-year anniversary?” Jade asked. They were lying in the back of Tori’s car, the date in question a week away.

Tori was on her side, propped up on her elbow. “You’re just so casual about things like this. I don’t know.”

“So you’re saying we’ve been together for nearly an entire year and you still have no idea that I like any situation where I might get presents?”

“I know you like _getting presents_. It’s the rest of it that you don’t seem to...I don’t know, I just thought you’d want to keep it low-key.”

“Well, I don’t want you to throw me a surprise anniversary party, that’s for sure. And who doesn’t like getting presents?”

“Right, but you hate _giving_ them.”

“I like giving them, I hate shopping for them,” Jade clarified.

“You did pretty well at Christmas. Well, kind of.”

“You said you loved what I gave you!”

“I do! And I’m looking forward to turning eighteen so I can actually use it.” Jade had given Tori the gift of Latin ballroom dance lessons (for both of them), but had failed to realize the classes were for adults only. Tori figured it was probably just an insurance thing but she was also very curious about what kind of moves they’d be learning.

It turned out that Jade didn’t need to shop for Tori’s anniversary present. Or maybe she’d panicked and done something last minute. Whatever the case, on the night of their anniversary, they’d gone to Nozu and recreated their first official date. That alone had been enough for Tori, but when they got into the car, Jade seemed a little antsy on the drive up to the overlook. Once Tori had parked, Jade reached into her purse and pulled out a picture frame.

“Happy anniversary,” she said, handing it over to Tori.

It was the photo of them from last year, the one Mrs. Lee had taken. And now, apparently, Jade had taken it back.

“You stole this?”

“Only because you stole my heart,” Jade quipped, smirking through the terrible pun.

“I think I’m rubbing off on you, because that was pretty corny.”

“You should probably get in the back with me so I can do stuff that makes you forget I said that.”

Tori didn’t actually ever forget, but there were about five minutes in there somewhere when she barely knew her own name.

**  
Spring**

April brought with it three milestones in their young lives: one woman shows, college acceptance, and Tori’s 18th birthday.

The first was only a big deal in the framework of Sikowitz’s class. It was technically a final project, but he wasn’t offering a grade for it, but it was still mandatory. Jade took to it easily and came up with a script in a weekend, but Tori struggled with what she wanted the show to be. Though once it had surfaced that Cat’s centered around Baberaham Lincoln, Tori stopped thinking so hard and settled on a loose adaptation of a story from Grandma Jean’s life.

Next came the college acceptance letters. They were both staying local, something they’d both hoped for, but Jade had also applied to NYU, so there had been some tension about what that could mean for them as they tried to navigate the distance. Now, though, they were incoming freshmen at USC Film School and the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Tori planned to stay living at home and commute across town to Westwood, but Jade couldn’t wait to move into the USC dorms at the end of the summer.

Tori’s birthday was, as usual, something she had low expectations about. Sure, she’d be an actual adult in the eyes of the law (and could finally go take that dance class), but there wasn’t anything life-changing she planned to pursue any time soon.

Except for the tattoo. She’d been thinking about it, wanting something to capture her youth in the form of ink on skin. Jade loved the idea.

“Great. I’ll pay for it. That’s my present to you,” she said, sounding relieved that she’d avoided any birthday shopping.

Tori hadn’t expected that her mother would want to tag along, but Jade didn’t appear surprised. Until Tiffany West also managed to wrangle herself an invitation to the tattoo shop (courtesy of Holly Vega). While the moms flipped through the offered designs, deciding on their midlife crises, Jade and Tori broke away to sit with their respective artists. At the end of the day, Tori had a cute moustache just above her right shoulder blade, while Jade had a pair of scissors on her left inner forearm. From what she’d told Tori, she planned to expand it over time with more and more scissors.

Holly had apparently settled on a very small, discrete “420” on her ankle, insisting it was in honor of her younger daughter’s birth. Tiffany, who already had a few random tattoos in various spots on her body, had chosen a bare-breasted mermaid on her hip.

“Mom, why?” Jade asked, obviously embarrassed at every part of the entire situation.

“It’s cute!” Tiffany insisted.

Later, in the car, Jade almost drove off the road when Tori asked, “Do you think your mom had them model that mermaid after her own breasts?”

**  
Summer**

Graduation was suddenly happening and Jade couldn’t figure out how time had flown by so quickly. Senior year had been, well, fun. Which, it figured that the best time of her life would speed past her like one of those high speed trains they always claim they’re going to build from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The ceremony would be the first time both of her parents would be in the same room since...Jade didn’t even know when. Honestly, she was surprised her father even agreed to attend the graduation, since it was from an arts high school. She arranged for her mom to sit with Tori’s parents and didn’t really care what her dad did. He hadn’t even said much more than, “Yes, I’ll attend.” She got more from David Vega than she did her own father, at this point.

Tori’s dad had even bought her a graduation gift, nothing outrageous, just a solar rechargeable battery for, “phones or camera batteries or whatever you need.” It was truly the most ‘dad’ present Jade had ever received, including from her actual father, and the sentiment of that got her a little emotional. Internally, anyway.

“It’s really cool, thank you. I can definitely use this for my portable lighting rig,” Jade said, before succumbing to one of those Vega family hugs. Also another thing she didn’t ever recall getting from her own dad.

The ceremony went as expected with speeches (including one from Tori who managed to easily slide into the valedictorian spot), a couple of songs, a weird performance art piece written by Sikowitz, an explosion of edible confetti, and the turning of the tassels.

And then it was over.

The ceremony, senior year, high school.

It also meant the summer was laid out in front of them before everything shifted into college and adulthood. Jade had been feeling pretty good but with Tori pressed up against her as they took a picture in front of the Congratulations Class of 2013 banner, Jade felt great about everything.

-

As July kicked off, Tori mentioned something about a Fourth of July sale at the Pleasure Chest, the famous adult store in West Hollywood. Growing up where they had, it was the kind of place they’d driven past thousands of times in their lives because it was right on Santa Monica Blvd, not tucked away in some back alley.

“I think I want to check it out,” said Tori, waving the Spectrogram post at Jade. They were cozied up together on the Vega living room couch, not really watching television as they scrolled through social media.

“Planning to buy another fake lipstick?” Jade teased.

“No!” Tori poked her phone at Jade. “I mean, kind of. But I want something rechargeable and not cheap crap. I’ve been saving up.”

Jade chuckled. “You’ve been tucking money away for a vibrator?”

“Is that a problem?” Tori asked, shifting position so her legs were draped across Jade’s lap.

“We just...kind of already have plenty of sex,” commented Jade.

“Sure, _now_ we do. But we’ll be busy once school starts,” Tori said. “And Trina’s moving to Grandma’s guest house, so I’ll actually have some privacy.”

“You've really thought this through,” Jade realized. It wasn’t something she would have prioritized, but Tori maybe had a good point. “I guess I might want to check things out.”

Tori shifted again, now nuzzling Jade’s neck. “And just because we might not be together, doesn’t mean we can’t tell each other what we’re up to.”

“Tori Vega. Are you suggesting we sext each other?” They’d messed around a bit, sending messages when they were keyed up and planning to handle the situation alone. But never, like, during. It seemed kind of complicated, to be honest. But then it also sounded hot? Jade was at least willing to try anything Tori wanted to do. She hadn’t been disappointed yet.

So they agreed to go to the shop to check out the sale. Jade was a little nervous, just because there would be other _people_ there, watching her and her girlfriend shop for intimate things, but she was ready to hold her head up high. Tori was walking with all the confidence of someone who had already gotten away with buying a cheap vibrator when she was underage, and Jade kind of liked that Tori was so ready for this.

At least, she was at first.

They entered the shop, looking around to realize the first section was mostly costumes, books, and novelty stuff, like bachelorette party favors and things of that nature. They poked around, giggling at the boob-shaped pasta and the penis straws, letting themselves get comfortable in a public space devoted to sexuality. Jade was idly looking at the different sexual card and dice games, wondering if other people were really so bad at keeping things interesting, while Tori was poking around at the clothing. It was mostly weird costume stuff, French maid outfits, school girl outfits, animal print lingerie. Jade turned to find Tori fingering a pleather bustier and blushing when she noticed Jade watching her.

Jade was about to suggest they head up the stairs to look at the actual sex toys when they noticed the front door open. They were across the room from it, but when the tinted door opened to let in a burst of sunlight and the door chime rang, it was impossible not to notice someone coming in.

Someone coming in carrying a large plastic tote.

Tori grabbed Jade’s arm. “Oh my god,” she whispered.

It was Patrice.

“We have to go,” Tori started pulling Jade further into the racks of clothes as if to hide.

But Jade grabbed Tori’s elbow and pulled her right back where they were. “No, we don’t. You dragged us here, and I’m not leaving until I get my vibrator.”

Tori whimpered, and Jade pushed her out of the racks of clothes. It was hard to describe just why Jade felt so confident, but watching Tori falter had flipped the tables, and Jade had stepped up. Maybe she also knew Tori would be disappointed if she chickened out now.

Patrice noticed them right away. “Tori! Jade!” she greeted.

“Need some help with that?” Jade asked, gesturing to the tote.

“No, I’m alright,” Patrice set the tote down on a table that was set up in the middle of the downstairs room.

“What, uh, what are you doing here?” Tori was trying so hard to sound casual, but her voice was shaking.

Patrice turned her warm gaze to Tori, “Oh, I’m here to give a presentation today. _Negotiating your BDSM Fantasy into Reality_.” Tori was absolutely crimson, and Jade was delighted. And grinned even wider as it was clear from Patrice’s expression that she had noticed, too.

“Oh, um, sounds...great,” Tori offered. “We’re just here to...shop. I, um, read your pamphlet about shopping for toys.” It was as if she thought she’d said too much, and stammered at the end of her sentence.

Patrice nodded, “Well, I won’t keep you. And Tori?” Tori met her eyes tentatively. “Everyone’s here for the same thing. Chill out a little, okay?”

“Okay,” Tori said weakly.

“Yeah, Tori’s not the best at being chill,” Jade drawled, making Patrice smirk knowingly. “Come on, Tori. I want a new toy.” And Jade dragged her blushing, stuttering girlfriend away from the attractive sex educator woman who was about to do a presentation on BDSM in a sex toy store.

It took Tori a few minutes to calm down as they explored the upper floor together. Jade wasn’t sure what they were looking for; there was a wall of less expensive vibrators and then some nicer ones on display. She took Tori further back in the store, wondering what else there was.

“What is this?” Tori held up a small, cone-shaped rubbery object. Jade pointed to the sign above the section that said _Anal_. “Oh,” Tori set it back down carefully and backed away.

They looped through the various products, bondage gear, strap-ons, dildos, and other stuff before coming back to the vibrators, which gave Tori time to chill a little. Jade picked up one of the display vibrators and turned it on, thrusting it at Tori’s arm.

“Oh my god, _Jade_ ,” Tori hissed.

“What?” Jade asked, “That’s what they’re here for, to test out.”

Patrice was coming up the stairs, talking to one of the employees from behind the main sales counter as Jade and Tori poked around at the display vibrators. Jade saw Patrice hesitate out of the corner of her eye, but then approached. “Pro-tip,” Patrice said quietly, “that I’m not sure is in the pamphlet. Test out the vibrators on your nose.”

“Your _nose_?” Tori looked astonished.

Patrice nodded, “It’s sensitive, see?” She wiggled her nose with her fingers, “It will give you a good idea of how the vibration levels of different toys compare.”

“That’s solid advice, thanks,” Jade smirked at her.

“Yeah, thanks,” Tori murmured as Patrice waved and wandered away.

She and Tori did just that as they played with the various toys for awhile, until Jade asked, “How many noses do you think these samples have touched?”

Tori put down the toy she was currently holding to her nose. “Okay, I need to pick something and get out of here.”

She and Tori each selected a moderately priced, rechargeable, vibrating toy. Tori chose one designed for clitoral stimulation, and Jade picked one described as “designed for internal use.”

It would be a few weeks before they told each other about their experimentation with the toys, after using them rather than during, and by then Jade had to admit, Tori’s idea to buy vibrators together had been a really good one.

**  
Fall**

Tori had been right about their schedules. Once the semester started, things shifted from seeing each other for hours a day to almost every day, but for much shorter periods of time (with constant texting in between). They’d meet for coffee or Jade would swing up into the hills to the Vega house to have dinner together. It was more work than they’d had to do in the past, but with the full university workload, there was barely even time to miss each other.

Sometime around Halloween, when there was an unusual spike in warm weather for that time of year, Jade opted for a new haircut, one she’d kind of been considering since they’d gone to the derby bout in the summer. She liked the look of her hair, but it was always a lot to manage, so the idea of an undercut appealed to her. It was just the right side, something to balance against her eyebrow ring. And, you know, it looked badass.

The other perk was that Tori couldn’t stop touching it.

“It’s, like, fuzzy,” she commented, dragging her fingertips back and forth over it as Jade’s head rested in her lap. It was a Saturday night up on the overlook, in the back of the Shaggin’ Wagon. Jade was on her period and not feeling much like doing anything but lying around, so they’d picked up InsideOut Burger and had dinner with a view.

“Basically, you’re not allowed to stop doing that until I say,” murmured Jade, enjoying the tingling feeling Tori’s touch generated on her scalp.

“And what happens if you fall asleep?” Tori asked.

“Then I guess you’re stuck doing that all night.”

**  
Winter**

During winter break, Jade received an interesting email. It seemed that she was proving to be a difficult match when it came to roommates (four had been the count by semester’s end) and she would be moving to a single room.

When she told Tori, she was a little surprised at her girlfriend’s first suggestion. “I think we should go back to the Pleasure Chest.”

“Uh, because you already need a new vibrator?”

“Because there’s some stuff we should check out now that we have, you know, a place we can really be alone.”

Okay, yeah, they’d talked about...stuff. Like what might be next in their sexual exploration together. The idea of a strap-on had come up once or twice, just as a concept. Tori, with all of her pamphlets (and now the 18+ section of Patrice’s sex-education website), had determined that Jade benefitted strongly from “penetrative intercourse” and, it seemed, she’d really been thinking about what that might mean for their future, uninterrupted endeavors.

Since they’d been to the shop before, they both were a little more confident as they walked into the tinted doors. Jade figured they’d end up going right for the toys, but Tori was browsing the sillier stuff on the bottom floor, attention apparently drawn by a set of giant inflatable boobs intended for bachelor parties.

Within the display of boob merchandise, Jade found something that made her smirk and picked it up. “Come on,” she urged Tori, “Let’s go take a look upstairs.”

“What do you have?” Tori asked her, following.

Jade showed her. It was a squishy, breast-shaped stress ball.

Tori laughed, “Why do you have that?”

“I’m buying it for you.”

“ _What_?!”

“For when you miss me,” Jade leaned over and kissed Tori’s cheek.

“I see you as more than just your boobs, you know,” Tori mumbled defensively.

“I know,” Jade assured her, “You can’t help what you like.”

“Oh my god,” Tori sighed.

They circled the section upstairs, idly browsing vibrating toys. Tori even paused to examine the anal toys more curiously this time, and Jade let her, though that wasn’t something she was into at all. Apparently, Tori wasn’t either, because they moved on pretty quickly to the bondage section.

Where Tori paused again.

“See anything you like?” Jade prompted.

“Actually,” Tori drawled, “I was kind of thinking maybe we might want to try something from here.”

“Just _what_ are you learning from Patrice’s website?” Jade teased.

Tori shook her head, “It’s not even about that, it’s just...when we’re together, I don’t know...I think it’s something I might be into. Like, I maybe kind of like it when you hold my hands down.” Oh, Tori was blushing now. This was adorable.

And, Jade knew she wasn’t wrong. There was _definitely_ something intriguing about this, and Jade felt it, too. “I might be into that, too,” she told Tori, not even teasing her, as much as she wanted to. It wouldn’t do any good to shame Tori out of something they clearly were both into.

“Yeah?” Tori scrutinized her. Jade suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She wouldn’t be pinning Tori’s hands down if she weren’t kinda into this, too. Tori turned her gaze back to the bondage wall. “How about these?” she asked, picking up a pair of metal handcuffs with fluffy pink fabric around the wrists cuffs.

“Oh, god,” Jade muttered, “Do we have to?”

“Well, since they’re going around _my_ wrists, I think I should pick,” Tori replied, raising a challenging eyebrow.

Jade went still for a moment as the implications really hit her. Because now she was thinking about having Tori tied to her bed in her dorm, and… “Okay, yeah, that works,” Jade agreed quickly.

Tori’s blush slowly faded as they circled the store to the strap-on section, and here she regarded Jade curiously, “Well?” she asked.

“Well what?” Jade replied.

Tori gestured at the strap-on display, “I mean, you’re going to be the one, um...so, like, what...looks like what you like?”

Jade was pretty sure she was blushing now as she examined the array of strap-on dildos. “I don’t know,” she said, gesturing at a row of them, “Those look a little...small,” she offered.

Behind them, they heard a gleeful chuckle, and turned to see a male shopper. “Are we size shaming the dilds? I am so in!” By his voice, Jade was willing to guess he was _very_ gay.

They spent a few moments with the stranger teasing the toys, saying things like, “Oh, honey, you’re so _tiny_!” and “I guess you’re not a grower _or_ a shower!”

“You gals are all right,” he told them, “But remember, bigger isn’t _always_ better,” he winked, and wandered away, still laughing to himself.

Well, weirdly, the encounter with an animated gay man at the sex toy store had put Jade at ease. She ran her eyes over the array of strap-ons and harnesses. It was a little weird, getting to choose the exact dimensions of what she would be penetrated with. She was also mindful of their wallets, because chiz, some of these were _expensive_.

She and Tori were examining four of the less expensive options when a saleswoman came over, “Hi, did you need help with fitting or anything?” she asked cheerfully.

And even though Jade was pretty sure she meant the fitting of the _harness_ , the question made her flood with embarrassed heat. “No, thanks,” she said quickly, grabbing a harness and dildo set that she thought was a fairly average size, “I think we’re ready.”

“You sure?” Tori asked on their way to the register. Jade nodded. No need to second guess now.

“Would you like to add some lube?” the saleswoman asked, then launched into an explanation of what kind of lube was compatible with their new toy. Jade just said yes to whatever lube she offered. She bagged up their purchases and said, “There’s a guide to keeping your sex toys clean in the bag. Have fun and stay safe!” Jade wondered idly if Patrice had written the sex toy cleaning guide.

They didn’t try their new purchases right away, because buying them had taken enough bravery. But a few weeks later, when they were back in school and Jade had Tori on her back on her bed, and she moved to pin Tori’s hands so she could focus on leaving a hickey on her breast, she remembered the handcuffs.

“Tori,” she murmured, lifting her head after thoroughly sucking on her flesh.

Tori groaned, blinked, “Huh?” she asked.

“You want me to...cuff you?” Jade asked.

Tori’s gaze smoldered. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Jade found the handcuffs in the back of her closet and used a pair of scissors to cut through the packaging. Tori sat up on her bed, topless, watching curiously.

Jade brought them over to the bed and Tori laid back down, but then Jade frowned at her headboard, trying to figure out how exactly this would work. The handcuffs weren’t big enough to actually wrap around one of the slats of her bed frame, not comfortably, anyway.

The solution came when she noticed Tori’s belt on the floor, already removed because of its uncomfortable buckle. The two of them wrapped the belt around the bedframe a couple of times, securing the handcuff chain in place there, and then buckling Tori’s belt as tightly as they could.

Contraption finally in place, Jade straddled Tori’s hips and kissed her deeply, letting Tori’s hands roam over her back, her hair, her breasts, before gently capturing each wrist and lifting Tori’s hands over her head once again. This time, however, she and Tori worked together to get Tori locked into place.

Jade sat back triumphantly, taking in the sight of Tori, handcuffed to her bed. She watched Tori’s chest lift, as she tried to move, and she writhed beneath Jade, eyes dark, lip between her teeth.

“You okay?” Jade asked her.

“I think so,” Tori said breathlessly, “Just…” she struggled again, and sank back with a moan, “Just want to touch you.”

Jade chuckled, “Kind of the point of being tied up, I think.” She lowered herself, kissing Tori’s mouth, her jaw, her neck, trailing down to her chest while Tori continued to struggle, one hand sliding down her body to unbutton Tori’s jeans.

But then, “Ow.”

Jade’s head shot up, “What happened?”

“I don’t know-- _ow_ ,” Tori said again, her eyes growing panicked, “Too tight, it’s too tight.”

“Shit,” Jade flopped toward the foot of the bed where her desk was, looking for the key, where had she put the goddamn key?

“Get it off,” Tori’s voice was rising with urgency.

“I’m trying!” Jade grabbed the key from her desk and, hands shaking, started trying to unlock the cuffs. She got one off pretty easily, just as Tori urged her to do the other one first. She twisted the key in the second lock, but it didn’t seem to be working, “Come _on_ ,” she cursed.

“Jade,” Tori’s voice sounded on the verge of panic.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Jade grabbed one side of the cuffs by the hinge joint where they joined at the middle and twisted, and with a loud snap, one side of the handcuffs broke completely, and Tori slipped her hand free.

Tori brought that second hand to her chest, cradling it protectively. Jade sank down next to her on the bed, drawing her close, examining her wrist. There was a red indentation in her flesh where the cuffs had cut into her.

“How did that even happen?” Jade asked dully. They’d been careful to make sure they weren’t too tight when Jade put them on.

Tori shook her head, taking a deep breath. She still looked freaked, but she was calming down. “I don’t know,” she said tremulously, “It was like it somehow pulled tighter when I struggled.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Jade said again, “I’m sorry. Next time we’ll get something nicer.”

Tori shook her head, “I don’t know if I need a next time. I’m good with you just holding my hands down.”

“I can do that,” Jade kissed her softly, “But later, okay?” she drew Tori close to her, holding her.

-

After the broken handcuffs incident, there was a lot of hope that the strap-on experience would go better. And a few weeks later, Tori was ready to try it.

They were in Jade’s dorm room again, and they’d been making out for a long time, and Tori had been fingering Jade until Jade finally suggested she was ready for Tori to get out their new toy.

This time, it had at least been taken out of its packaging first, waiting for Tori, a pile of cloth straps comprising a harness and a pale flesh-colored dildo, moderately sized.

The first challenge was even getting the harness on. It was supposed to fit someone “small-medium,” whatever that meant. Tori got it on as tight as she could, once she figured out where, exactly, everything was supposed to go. Then, there was a sort of bulb-attachment at the front of the harness where the strap-on itself was supposed to lock on.

But as soon as Tori attached it, the entire harness system started sagging.

Jade, lounging on the bed, laughed, “Looks like you’ve got a bit of limp dick, there.”

“Shut up,” Tori groaned, tightening all the straps as best she could. Everything sort of rose back into place as she did so. “You probably shouldn’t make fun of the equipment of the person who’s about to fuck you.”

Jade’s eyes seemed to glitter eagerly, “Oh, is that what’s going to happen?”

“Yes,” Tori said firmly, climbing up onto the bed with Jade.

They kissed, Tori leaning over her and jabbing Jade right in the abdomen with her new, unfamiliar appendage, but this time they both laughed about it. And then, Tori ran her hands down Jade’s body, parting her legs and settling between them. Her harness was already drooping a little bit again, and she tried to get it back into place.

“You ready?” she asked Jade.

Jade nodded eagerly.

Tori held the toy, trying to line it up with Jade, and it sort of worked, as long as her hand still held it. Jade’s face was scrunched up uncomfortably. “You okay?”

“Maybe I need some lube?” Jade suggested.

Well, Jade _herself_ didn’t, Tori reflected, but the toy probably did, if Tori knew anything about friction (and she did). She grabbed the bottle of lube from Jade’s desk, applying it to the toy, then got back to what she was doing.

She was able to penetrate Jade, with the help of her hand (and, okay, watching the way Jade gasped, her head falling back on her pillow...was worth it), but as soon as her hand fell away and she tried to thrust with her hips, the looseness of the harness worked against her, making everything erratic and awkward.

“This isn’t working,” Jade groaned.

“I’ll _make_ it work,” Tori growled, reaching down to hold the toy in place against her pelvis, but trying to thrust with one hand for balance didn’t work, either.

“No, stop,” Jade sighed.

“Are you sure?”

“Stop, Tori,” Jade just sounded tired now.

Tori did, pulling out of Jade (had she really only been trying to bone her with barely half the shaft?). She sighed, frustrated, “Sorry that didn’t work. Do you want my fingers, or…”

“No. I’m over it. I’m too angry. I just want you to take that thing off and cuddle me,” Jade demanded.

It wasn’t as sexy, but Tori could definitely handle that. She tugged off the strap on and dropped it on her jeans on the floor, then settled next to Jade on the bed. “Sorry I made you mad,” she murmured.

“ _You_ didn’t. That stupid toy did.” Jade nuzzled her neck. “Why did all the other ones have to be so expensive?”

“They don’t want college students to experiment sexually, I guess,” Tori joked feebly.

It was about a week later when Jade suggested a way they might be able to at least salvage one of their purchases, “You know,” she said, “The big problem with the strap on was that the harness didn’t fit you, right?”

Tori nodded, “Yeah, and?”

“Maybe it would fit me,” Jade suggested, eyebrow lifting.

“...Oh,” Tori breathed. She hadn’t thought as much about that, because it was supposed to be a way for Jade to achieve more satisfying penetration, but the idea was an intriguing one. “Yeah, I’d be down to try that.”

This time, Jade made sure Tori was nice and aroused by teasing her with her mouth, doing everything but the particular lip suction and tongue flick move combo that reliably got Tori off with oral. Then Tori watched as she got the strap-on in place. The harness _did_ fit her a little better, though the heavy appendage still seemed to weigh down the straps meant to keep it in place. Maybe it was just a piece of crap.

But they were still determined to make this work, so Jade got on the bed, let Tori sit up to kiss her, and then guided Tori onto her back. “Ready?” Jade asked, already applying some lube to the toy.

“As I’ll ever be,” Tori replied, heart beating with excitement at the thought.

She felt the tip of the toy teasing at her, and she let her head fall back on the pillow, eyes closing, waiting for what came next. She felt the toy pushing at her, then pushing harder.

Tori lifted her head, frowning down between her legs, “What are you doing?” she asked Jade.

“Trying to get this _in_ you,” Jade grumbled, “ _Relax_.”

“I _am_ relaxed!” Tori defended.

“Chill as always,” Jade teased.

Tori flopped back against her pillows, willing herself to _relax_...whatever that meant. Why couldn’t the toy go inside of her?

A gasp of surprise fell from her lips as she felt the first bit of pressure, of the toy beginning to slip inside. It was uncomfortable, but not painful, and Tori was eager for more, wanting to experience more, wanting to know what it was like for Jade to--

A strange snapping sound, and then the sensation of emptiness. Tori looked up, alarmed.

Jade was staring down her body at the harness, then lifted her eyes to Tori’s, expression shocked and furious at once. “The harness _broke_.”

“ _What_?!”

“You heard me.” Jade tried to yank the dildo off, but the lube just made her hand slide right off. She groaned and tore the harness off, throwing it on the floor with a loud sound somewhere between _thunk_ and _splat_. “This is stupid,” Jade growled, leaning over Tori’s body and sliding two fingers inside of her, kissing her furiously as her fingers filled her.

Tori had to agree that maybe they didn’t need a strap-on for her as long as Jade still had fingers.

As the year went on, they talked a little bit about maybe buying a better strap-on, to give Jade a good experience, but ultimately, as college students, they just didn’t prioritize the time and money required. They were still having great sex, and Jade never expressed that she was lacking anything in the bedroom.

Tori even suggested using just the dildo part of the toy, but Jade didn’t want anything to do with it.

Tori couldn’t blame her.

**  
2014**

The new year brought with it a sense of rhythm as things fell into place. Jade’s new dorm room meant Tori could freely spend the night when she didn’t have morning classes the next day. Even though Jade wasn’t supposed to have any self-heating appliance in her room, she’d bought herself a small k-cup machine that she kept hidden under her nightstand, behind a stack of film history books. The in-room coffee meant Jade was tolerable in the mornings and Tori had to admit that the idea of putting a coffee maker in the bedroom had been a perfect one.

Tori’s new friends, the ones from her acting program at UCLA, were thrilled to find out her girlfriend was a filmmaker. Even Jade was into the idea of expanding her actor’s network. Everyone at USC tended to pull from the same pool of talent for their projects and this allowed her access to different faces, making her work stand out. In a way, it made everything feel like high school again, but with the entirety of LA as their backdrop. Tori loved the opportunity to create with Jade, and it wasn’t just limited to film school projects. They teamed up with Sam, Cat, and Robbie to do performance art at Venice Beach over the summer, doing drive-by acting exercises and strange sketches that Jade tended to write on the nights she indulged in the edible treats Tori secured from her mom’s inventory. They didn’t get high too often, but when they did, it almost always resulted in art or sex.

Speaking of sex, Tori took a Human Sexuality class in the fall, which meant she was always spouting off facts that made her sound like one of Patrice’s pamphlets.

“There’s this new study,” Tori said, reading something on her PearPad on Jade’s bed. Part of the classwork involved reading and writing about research regarding sexuality, and Tori had become a little addicted to her campus library’s academic research article database. “About the orgasm gap between men and women. Did you know that while straight men have an orgasm 85% of the time during a sexual encounter, straight women only reach orgasm 61% of the time?”

“Fascinating,” Jade drawled, fingers trailing over Tori’s spine in a way that told Tori she maybe wanted to experience some human sexuality of her own.

But Tori wasn’t done, because this was interesting, and she was just getting to the good part. “That’s not all. The results aren’t much different for gay or bi men, but they are statistically significant for lesbian women. _Lesbians_ reach orgasm 75% of the time,” Tori grinned proudly, and then her smile faltered a little, “Bi women, for whatever reason, do worse than everyone else, though, sorry. 58%,” Tori frowned, “I wonder why that is?”

“No clue,” Jade drawled, “Maybe they have partners who are too busy on their PearPads.”

“But what is it about male-female sex that makes orgasm so difficult?” Tori wanted to know, kind of addressing Jade, wondering if she had some insight.

“I don’t know, Tori, but maybe we can work on closing the orgasm gap right now.”

“That’s not how it--” But then Jade was kissing her, and okay, Jade was more interesting than scientific research, anyway.

And if anything, the orgasms they gave each other just proved the research right.

**  
2015**

Spring semester, one of Tori’s required courses was an Audition Techniques class where the midterm required students to self-tape submission for pilot season. It was meant to acclimate new actors to the process of submitting for roles and the chances of actually receiving a callback were few and far between.

Except Tori did.

The email came one afternoon when she’d stopped at home to take a quick shower before meeting Jade at Nozu. She was still wrapped in a towel when she read it.

**Dear Tori,**

**Are you available tomorrow at 12:30pm to read for our showrunners? This would be for a leading role in the upcoming series Portland Heights.**

**Please confirm if you’ll be able to make it and we’ll go from there.**

**Warmly,**

**Yazmyn Garcia**

**Casting Director**

**SkramMedia**

Tori didn’t know what to do first. Did she call Jade? Tell her parents? Reply to the email? She quickly opened the video chat on her computer, but she wasn’t sure if Jade was in her room or what. Instead, she started a PearFace call on her phone. When Jade answered, she was in what looked like the student lounge in her building.

“Hey,” said Jade. “Are you...dressed?” she asked, peering at the screen.

Tori readjusted her towel. “I got a callback.”

“A call back from who?”

“No, a _callback_. For Portland Heights. They want me to come in and read tomorrow?”

Jade suddenly got it. “ _Holy shit_ , Tori. That’s amazing!” Already, Tori could tell she was moving from where she’d been sitting.

“What do I do?”

“Tell them you’ll be there, you nerd.”

“Right. Okay. Oh my god. Okay, but it just means I’m reading. It doesn’t mean anything’s going to happen.”

“You’re such an idiot.”

“Thanks, your support means so much to me.”

“I just mean that you’re going to nail it.”

Jade’s optimism was unusual, because she was generally the realist in their relationship. But that also meant her faith in Tori resonated strongly. “Okay. I’m replying now.” She took a moment to type out the confirmation that she would definitely be there for the reading, then hit send.

“Tori. This is...god, this is incredible. I’m so proud of you.”

Even though there was a follow up email with the location of the callback that popped through her email just a few minutes later, it was Jade’s supportive comment that kept Tori floating for the rest of the day.

The callback led to chemistry reads where she was paired up with various actors to read scenes together. They seemed to go well and it was a good sign that they kept asking her back. But then days passed without hearing anything else and, by the time it had been a couple of weeks, Tori assumed they’d chosen a different performer. Until she got the phone call. The one that said they wanted to offer her the role of Carmen Diaz, the girl next door.

The show would begin production in Vancouver at the end of May. It was a Webflix limited series, which meant it was a short, single run of ten episodes, set to shoot over the summer. Basically, it was a perfect job for someone in college.

But Tori wasn’t sure about it.

“What if it gets picked up?” she asked, sitting across from Jade in their usual booth at YasssHomo Coffee.

Jade scrunched up her eyebrows. “Isn’t that the point?”

“But then I'm gone for the summer.”

“And you’ll be back when it’s over. Tori, this is everything you’re working for, isn’t it?”

Tori nodded, staring down at her latte. “Yeah,” she admitted.

“So, you’ll go to Canada,” Jade frowned at the mention of her least favorite country, “and make this thing and be leagues ahead of everyone else.”

“I’ll miss you, though.” They hadn’t been apart longer than a couple days at a time since, well, they started dating.

“Yeah and that part will suck. But we’ll video chat and text and I’ll send you locks of my hair in the mail.”

That made Tori crack a smile. “Gross.”

The knowledge that Tori would be leaving for the summer meant that they tried to fit in as much time together as possible. She spent every night she could at Jade’s dorm room, where they barely fit together on the twin bed, but they didn’t care because Jade usually liked to snuggle so tightly.

At the end of May, Tori was packed and ready for a summer away. She was nervous but excited. Jade was right, this was what she’d been working toward, it was what she was in college to study for the express purpose of landing roles like this. So, it made sense. It was just scary, the idea of leaving home and being on her own in a new city.

Everyone came to the airport, even Grandma Jean, to see her off, all of them gathered near the ticketing counter, watching as Tori checked her bags. One by one, they hugged her (even Trina) and wished her well. Finally, it was down to Jade, who walked with her away from everyone else, just to have a moment alone.

“I think I suck at goodbyes more than I do at shopping for presents, but,” Jade pressed a small box into Tori’s hand.

“What…” Tori fumbled the gift for a moment, steadying her hands to lift the lid. Inside was a simple necklace with a stone green star hanging from it. A jade star.

“I love you and you’re going to be huge and I’ll be able to say ‘that’s my hot girlfriend’ whenever you're on screen and--”

Tori grabbed Jade’s face and kissed her, trying to pour every emotion she was feeling into the action and knowing it would never be enough. “I love you,” she echoed, their foreheads resting together. When she leaned back she handed the necklace to Jade, indicating she wanted her to put in on for her. Jade obliged, kissing Tori’s neck as she did and there was a brief moment where Tori realized everyone in her family was probably watching all of this unfold. But she didn’t care. She was about to board a flight that would likely change her life. For all the time she and Jade had to steal away for anything more than basic PDA, they deserved a chance to clearly display their feelings for each other and not care who was watching.

There was one last kiss, a quick one, before Tori broke away to move for the security checkpoint. As she rode up the escalator, she looked back and noticed Jade wiping at her eyes. And then, not even a minute later, there was a text.

**I wasn’t crying**

**Aw, but you were**

**Shut up**

They kept up easy banter until Tori had to shut off her phone before take off. Other than their dramatic moment in the terminal, everything else felt the same. She fiddled with the star around her neck, glad for something physical, tangible that tied her to someone she loved so much.

They’d manage this. And much more, Tori knew that.

-

A week into Tori’s stay in Canada, Jade received a text from Tori that said:

**Guess what I did?**

**  
Wrestled a moose?**

**Idk what they do up there for fun.**

**  
No, weirdo**

**I got this  
  
**

What followed was a picture of Tori’s arm, specifically her left inner forearm. And on it was a tattoo. Jade zoomed in to look more closely at it. It was a really simple four-points compass like at the bottom of an old-fashioned map. She could tell it was fresh by the pink skin around it.

**  
When did you do this???  
  
**

**Last night**

**Some of us went as a bonding thing**

  
Sneaky. She’d been texting Tori most of the evening the night before and she hadn’t said a damn thing about getting a tattoo.

**  
What do you think?**

**  
It’s cool**

  
Jade took another look at the image. And that’s when she realized what made it different than a regular compass. Instead of the arrow pointing toward an N for north, it was pointing at a W for...west.

**  
Tori**

**Did you really do that?**

**  
Do what?**

**  
It’s pointing west**

**  
Yeah**

**❤️**

  
Jade wasn’t crying. Nope. Not at all.

In the middle of June, a couple weeks after she’d put her girlfriend on a plane, Jade was realizing the pros and cons of Tori being away for the summer.

The cons were obviously centered around a lack of kissing, cuddling, and time spent together. She hated the distance but was doing her best to take advantage of technology with video chat and texting and...okay, maybe they were playing around with sexting and even, yeah okay, phone sex. It was kind of awkward, but it was all they had.

But there were some pros to having more time to herself. The truth was that, with school and projects and everything, they were always trying to spend their free time together. Which, that was what they wanted to do and it was always worth it. Now, though, Jade found herself writing more, making progress on a couple short scripts and even a feature that she’d been wanting to write. It also gave her time to sign up for an art class, something she’d been wanting to do so she’d be better at drawing her own storyboards. However, the class brought with it an unexpected surprise.

**OMG TORI**

**What???**

**So I had my life drawing class tonight**

**Oh yeah! Was it good?**

**We** **ll**

**They have a nude model that we have to draw**

**That’s...standard, right?**

**Yeah but**

**TORI**

**WHAT**

**It was PATRICE**

**PATRICE???**

**Like Patrice Patrice?**

**Yep**

**Wow**

**You really want to see my drawing, don’t you?**

**Kind of**

**Perv**

-

After a month in Canada, Tori was feeling settled in, which was kind of bittersweet because she knew she was almost halfway through the shoot and then she’d be heading back home. But she was making the best of it. She got along well with the rest of the cast, the character she played was a fun challenge and she had some great dialogue, along with some opportunities to do some physical comedy. The show was technically a drama, but her character was a little goofy (type-casting, Jade has teased, when she read the pilot script) and seemed to often find herself in silly situations.

But even as she grew comfortable in her tiny studio apartment, she missed Jade terribly. They talked constantly via whatever technology was preferred in the moment. They’d navigated their intimacy as best they could (Tori still couldn’t quite get the hang of talking dirty, but they managed to make things work) and they were constantly checking in with each other. Still, though, she missed cuddling and just being together. She missed stealing kisses while waiting in line at Jet Brew and the way Jade teased her no matter what she ordered. She missed watching movies together, even though they’d at least found a way to kind of do that via Webflix and video chat, but Tori couldn’t hide her face against Jade’s shoulder when things were scary. She missed the intensity of those blue-green eyes when Jade described a new movie idea to her or when she watched, amused, as Tori freaked out about something that probably wasn’t even that big of a deal in the first place.

She just missed _Jade_.

There was an afternoon where she was waiting for a response from her girlfriend so they could pick a time to video chat. Finally, a notification came through, but it wasn’t a text. Or, it was, but it was just a video link.

Tori clicked it.

“Hi, this is Jade West with an exclusive edition of Stuff I Hate,” Jade was sitting in the same set-up of what she’d had when she’d made these videos in high school. Because it was summer, she was back at home. “I hate sleeping alone. I hate that I forgot to bring home the shampoo you left behind in my dorm room because it smelled like you. I hate not being able to cuddle while we watch movies together. I hate having to make my own coffee in the morning because it tastes better when you do it. I hate having to put on a bra whenever I order food to be delivered. I hate that you’re so far away and that I can’t even be mad about it because you’re doing something awesome. I hate that I can’t kiss you good night or good morning or just whenever. I hate missing you.”

Tori didn’t notice she’d teared up a little during the video. It felt silly to get so emotional, but seeing Jade in her natural state just reminded her how much she couldn’t wait to get back home. She replied to the message.

**I hate missing you, too**

**  
[Jade West would like to start a video chat]**

Tori tapped the “accept” button.

It was the best they could do, for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from _Heartbeat Song_ by Kelly Clarkson.
> 
> And so, with that, Part Two comes to a close. Which brings us to what’s next: 
> 
> If you just want to exist in a space where Tori and Jade go happy ever after from here on out, no struggle, no angst, then thank you, good night, we’re so glad you spent time with us.
> 
> If you’re all-in for a bit of a ride to the future and want to see these two chiz-heads have to learn a few lessons and figure out who they are as adults, then you’ll want to prepare for Part Three.
> 
> A few things about Part Three:
> 
> \-- It will be rated E (and that’s not E for Everyone, it’s E for Explicit)  
> \-- It will include conversation and story narrative about kink, particularly BDSM  
> \-- It will be as realistic as possible while still staying true to the comedic tone of this fic series and also the show itself  
> \-- It will have angst  
> \-- It will have smut  
> \-- It will have fluff  
> \-- It will be set 12 years after Part Two (starting from the end of Ch. 12)  
> \-- It will include Holly’s rivalry with Bambi Sterling, a new career path for Tori, a lot more of Patrice Kline, a new kind-of hobby for Jade, and definitely 100% Classic Trina
> 
> Thank you so much to all of you for the reviews, comments, and conversations about this piece. Even though we’re already diving into Part Three, it’s a little emotional to close out this part of Jade and Tori’s time together. 
> 
> We’ll see you soon and, in the meantime, please stay safe. AND WASH YOUR HANDS!


End file.
